BANGKOK: United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva warned Wednesday that delaying a Hormuz fertiliser deal between the United States and Iran could cause food crises in parts of Asia and Africa.
He called for agreement within weeks to protect the planting season. The proposed mechanism remains inactive, but he estimated it could start within seven to 10 days of a deal.
Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), outlined the proposal in a Reuters interview. He was speaking during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Thailand’s capital.
“Otherwise, we will miss the planting season,” he said. Missing that window risked lower agricultural productivity and higher prices, he warned.
Under the plan, a coordination centre in Oman would register vessels and organise safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. UN monitors would work with local authorities at Gulf ports to verify cargo loading.
Tracking ships during transit forms another part of the proposal. It provides for additional inspections if a country raises concerns about a vessel or its cargo.
Moreira da Silva set the required traffic at five vessels a day to maintain supplies to countries facing critical shortages.
A US State Department spokesman said the US military had helped thousands of commercial vessels transit the waterway. He accused Iran of disrupting freedom of navigation and pledged continued action against those efforts.
Iran’s embassy in Bangkok and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Read: Iran Changes Hormuz Ship Attacks to Sway US Vote: Officials
Fertiliser shipments from the Gulf remained largely halted more than six months into the conflict, the International Food Policy Research Institute reported in September. Its assessment found fertilisers represented only a negligible share of shipping that resumed during a mid-June to mid-July ceasefire.
Before the war, the strait carried roughly one-third of globally traded urea, the most widely used fertiliser. Nearly half of seaborne sulphur, a fertiliser input, passed through the same route.
Diplomatic efforts to reopen the waterway have stalled over Tehran’s conditions and Washington’s demand to address Iran’s nuclear programme from the outset.
Moreira da Silva proposed running the fertiliser arrangement alongside negotiations on a broader peace agreement. He declined to identify the specific obstacles while discussions with both sides continued.
He added that climate pressures and disruptions to Black Sea and Red Sea shipping were compounding the food security threat.
