ANTALYA, Turkiye: Iran and the United States should “immediately” allow fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to ease the crisis in some of the most vulnerable countries, a senior UN official said Saturday.
Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services, told the COP31 climate talks in the Turkish resort city of Antalya that the lack of fertilizers could push millions into poverty.
The Iranian blockade of the vital waterway, which started after the joint US-Israeli attack against Iran in late February, has choked shipping in the region and beyond. The US blockade of Iranian ports has further complicated matters.
While Iran and the United States are still trying to negotiate an end to the conflict, Moreira da Silva said he had the same message for both countries.
“They should continue their negotiations about the comprehensive deal — but that deal should not avoid an immediate, exceptional, limited, and time-bound solution for the fertilizers,” he said.
“Basically what we need is five vessels a day with fertilizers,” he added.
Moreira da Silva heads up the UN task force dedicated to facilitating the safe passage of fertilizers during the crisis.
Before the conflict, a third of the world’s fertilizers passed through the Strait of Hormuz, and since the blockades, their prices had risen by 30 percent…
