A United Nations working group official said that a blockade of fertilizers in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global humanitarian crisis.
The situation is critical because the blockage prevents the movement of essential agricultural inputs. Without these fertilizers, global food production could drop sharply, potentially leaving tens of millions of people facing mass hunger.
“Decenas de millones de personas podrían enfrentarse al hambre y la inanición en unas semanas si no se permite el paso de fertilizantes por el estrecho de Ormuz,” the UN official said.
The disruption in the strait—located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula—has already created a massive logistical bottleneck. Reports indicate that 2,000 commercial vessels are currently stranded [2], with more than 20,000 sailors trapped as a result of the blockade [2].
Beyond the immediate threat to food security, the closure has paralyzed the global energy sector. Approximately 20% of global natural gas is affected by the disruption [2]. Furthermore, an estimated 600 million barrels of crude oil are currently stalled [3], representing an economic value of 60 billion dollars [3].
These warnings first surfaced in April 2026, as international bodies began demanding the reopening of the strait to prevent a total collapse of regional and global supply chains. The UN continues to call for immediate access to ensure that agricultural shipments can reach their destinations before the window for planting and crop maintenance closes in affected regions.
“Decenas de millones de personas podrían enfrentarse al hambre y la inanición en unas semanas”
The Strait of Hormuz serves as one of the world's most vital chokepoints for both energy and agriculture. While the immediate financial loss is measured in billions of dollars of trapped oil and gas, the long-term risk is a systemic failure of the global food supply. Because fertilizers are foundational to industrial farming, a prolonged blockade creates a delayed-action crisis where food shortages appear months after the initial disruption.
