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Thousands of seafarers remain stranded aboard hundreds of vessels as commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has come to an almost complete standstill amid the escalating Iran-US conflict, prompting fresh warnings from the United Nations over the growing humanitarian and economic consequences of the crisis.
The UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that “very few ships, if any,” are currently transiting the strategic waterway following renewed attacks on commercial vessels after hostilities between Iran and the United States resumed on July 12-13.
The disruption has left an estimated 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard around 500 vessels anchored inside the Persian Gulf, unable to continue their voyages or safely return to port.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez described the situation as deeply alarming, stressing that merchant seafarers are civilians caught in the middle of a military conflict.
“These are innocent people who are trained to do their work. They are not trained for combat, and their vessels are not designed to defend themselves against missiles and drones,” Dominguez said.
He emphasized that the safety of seafarers must remain the international community’s highest priority, warning that global shipping cannot function without them.
“Without seafarers, nearly 90 percent of the world’s traded goods cannot reach consumers. Every country would feel the impact,” he said.
Vital global trade route virtually closed. The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, normally carries about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports, linking Gulf producers with international markets.
Before the latest conflict, roughly 135 commercial vessels transited the strait every day. Shipping traffic has now fallen to nearly zero as operators avoid the route because of missile attacks, drone strikes and growing security concerns.
The IMO chief said commercial shipping should not resume normal operations until the conflict subsides and credible international guarantees are in place.
“We first need de-escalation. Then we need assurances that the region has been cleared of mines, that shipping lanes are safe and that vessels can transit without coming under attack,” he said.
Only after those conditions are met can traffic gradually return to pre-conflict levels, he added.
No legal basis for charging passage fees. The future management of the Strait remains uncertain as Iran continues to argue that it should regulate navigation through the waterway.
However, the IMO reiterated that international law provides no mechanism allowing any country to impose tolls or fees on merchant vessels using the Strait of Hormuz.
Dominguez cited the cooperative management framework governing the Straits of Malacca and Singapore as a successful international model where safe navigation is ensured without charging transit fees.
“There is no mechanism within international law that allows countries to impose such charges,” he stressed.
The remarks reinforce the broader UN position that freedom of navigation through international waterways must be preserved.
The IMO warned that the Hormuz crisis is compounding years of disruption already faced by the global maritime industry.
Shipping has struggled with successive crises, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, instability in the Black Sea and repeated attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi movement.
“We’ve been taken to the limit,” Dominguez said.
Essential food supplies, humanitarian cargo, fuel shipments and industrial raw materials all depend on uninterrupted maritime transport, he noted, warning that continued disruption would have far-reaching consequences well beyond the Middle East.
Alongside the shipping crisis, independent UN human rights experts condemned the renewed fighting between Iran and the United States, citing growing civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure.
According to Iranian authorities, 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured since hostilities resumed.
UN experts reported attacks affecting ports, railway infrastructure, a desalination plant that reportedly left around 10,000 people without drinking water, as well as areas near a children’s cancer hospital, forcing the evacuation of young patients.
They stressed that civilians and civilian infrastructure must never become targets during armed conflict and urged all parties to comply fully with international humanitarian law.
The conflict is also reshaping international trade. According to the UN Trade and Development agency (UNCTAD), the total value of global merchandise trade reached $13.7 trillion during the first half of 2026, an increase of 12.5 percent compared with the same period last year.
The rise has been driven primarily by sharply higher oil and energy prices linked to the Hormuz crisis rather than increased trade volumes.
Combined with a 10.5 percent increase in global services trade, overall international commerce has expanded by nearly $2 trillion, putting the world economy on track for record trade values this year despite growing geopolitical instability.
While diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran continue under the framework of last month’s memorandum of understanding, the IMO warned that a meaningful recovery in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will depend on sustained de-escalation, security guarantees and strict adherence to international law. Source: UN News