United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres proposed on Monday that the world body take on a role in facilitating maritime fertilizer shipments, which have been disrupted by the paralysis of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking at a press conference in New York, Guterres said the goal was simple: to reduce immediate risks, support more coordinated and predictable transport, and help rebuild the trust needed for diplomacy and de-escalation.
A registration and verification mechanism
Guterres said he had launched the process in March and was now proposing the creation of a mechanism to register and verify ships carrying, at least initially, fertilizers and related products.
An incident prevention mechanism led by Oman would be added to the initiative, he said.
Guterres stressed that the mechanism would not approve passage through the Strait of Hormuz, nor would it alter the rights or obligations of member states under international law.
He said the UN was fully ready to put the mechanism into operation, though he acknowledged this did not mean that all countries involved in the conflict accepted it. He added that the UN intended to act as a neutral facilitator.
Why the strait was closed
Iran closed the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for American and Israeli bombings on its territory on February 28, the event that triggered the war in the Middle East.
Before the armed conflict, about one-fifth of the hydrocarbons consumed worldwide passed through the strait, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the open sea.
Fees and rival claims over the strait
Tehran has announced plans to impose fees for services provided to ships passing through the strait, a move that the United States and some countries in the region categorically reject.
US President Donald Trump has meanwhile insisted that Washington has "absolute control" of the strait, and has said it will become "American territory" once the war ends.
