UN Official: Iran and the US Must Agree Within Weeks on a Fertiliser Passage Through Hormuz

Jorge Moreira da Silva, a UN Under-Secretary-General, told Reuters on Wednesday, 14 October 2026 (22 Mehr 1405), on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok, that parts of Asia and Africa could face a food security crisis unless Iran and the United States quickly agree on a UN-backed plan to move fertiliser through the Strait of Hormuz. He said agreement must come "within weeks", before planting season. Al Jazeera reported the interview.\n\nThe plan, drawn up in March, envisages a UN-staffed coordination centre in Oman to register vessels and oversee their safe passage. Moreira da Silva said it could be activated within seven to 10 days if both sides agree, and that the passage of only five vessels a day could keep fertiliser flowing to countries in critical need. He did not say why the two sides have not agreed.\n\nBefore the war, roughly a third of global urea shipments and nearly half of seaborne sulphur passed through the strait. The International Food Policy Research Institute describes fertiliser as a "very negligible" share of cargo now moving. Iran and the US have exchanged proposals through intermediaries since an interim ceasefire collapsed in June.