Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that ongoing conflicts have made the global food supply "collateral damage," as combatants disrupt key shipping routes essential for delivering food, energy, and vital goods.
The Secretary-General noted that commercial shipping has been significantly restricted in the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Black Sea. In the Strait of Hormuz, connecting the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, US and Iranian forces have limited escort operations, reducing traffic and increasing oil and container shipping prices. The Bab al-Mandab Strait, linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, faces a naval blockade by Iran-backed Houthi militants against Saudi-linked shipping. In the Black Sea, intensified attacks by Russian and Ukrainian forces on ports and cargo ships threaten critical grain shipments.
Guterres stated that about 12 percent of seaborne oil trade traditionally passed through Bab al-Mandab, while around 20 percent moved through Hormuz. Conflicts in these areas have led to global oil price shocks and higher food production and transportation costs, further straining the global food system and increasing hunger, especially among vulnerable populations.
According to the Secretary-General, navigational rights protected under international law—such as the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—must be upheld. This convention requires countries bordering straits not to impede transit passage, though the US, Iran, and Israel have not ratified the treaty. Guterres emphasized that ensuring unobstructed navigation through these chokepoints is both a legal obligation and a humanitarian imperative.