Iran war: Humanitarian crisis awaits if Strait of Hormuz is not opened now, UN Official warns. What are major problems that world may witness in case deadlock continues?

Tens of millions of people could face hunger and starvation if fertilisers are not soon allowed through the Strait of Hormuz, the head of a UN task force aimed at averting a looming humanitarian crisis told AFP on Monday. Global focus has been on the economic impacts of the throttled oil and gas trade, but the United Nations has been sounding the alarm of the threat the blockade poses to the world's food security, with countries in Africa and Asia likely to be particularly hard hit. Meanwhile, the oil market will lose around 100 million barrels every week, if ‌the ⁠disruptions ⁠in the Strait of Hormuz continue at the current rate and it remains closed, the ⁠CEO of ‌Saudi oil giant Aramco, ⁠Amin Nasser, said on Monday.

"We have a few weeks ahead of us to prevent what will likely be a massive humanitarian crisis," Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and leader of the task force, told AFP in an interview.

Hunger Crisis





"We may witness a crisis that will force 45 million more people into hunger and starvation," Silva said.




Iran has had the strategic waterway -- through which a third of the world's fertilisers normally pass -- in a chokehold for months in retaliation for the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, disrupting a trade critical for farmers around the world in a race against the end of planting seasons.

For weeks, Moreira da Silva has been working to convince the belligerent parties to allow even a few ships through, and has met with "more than 100 countries" to rally UN member state support around the mechanism.

Oil Prices Recovery




Disruption to oil exports via the ​Strait of Hormuz is threatening to delay the market's return to normal until 2027, Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser warned on Monday. The recovery could drag into 2027 if the situation continues until mid-June, Nasser said.

The impact of the Iran war, ​including the effective closure of the strait, has already been called the biggest disruption to the energy market in history. The market is losing around 100 million barrels of oil a week, Nasser said, adding that two ​to five vessels are crossing the strait daily versus around 70 in ⁠normal times.

Even ‌if the strait were to reopen today, it would take months for the ​market to rebalance, ​he said.

The disruption has choked off tanker traffic and sent energy prices surging, stoking ⁠fears of spiraling inflation and an economic downturn.

Lithuania should ​send up to 40 ‌soldiers ⁠and ⁠personnel ​to aid the ​United States ​in ⁠the Strait of ‌Hormuz, ​the ​Baltic ⁠country's State Defence ​Council, which ​is chaired by the ‌president, said in ​a ​proposal ⁠to parliament on Monday.