Nov. 14 — At least five seafarers have been killed in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran in February, the United Nations reported during a formal briefing to the Security Council.
Addressing the Council on Friday, Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, warned against normalizing attacks on commercial shipping and called for the immediate, full restoration of freedom of navigation across the strategic waterway.
“This situation cannot be allowed to become the new normal,” Khiari told Council members, noting a sharp escalation in maritime security threats that peaked in October—the highest monthly tally since hostilities began.
According to figures compiled by the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), 136 security incidents involving commercial vessels were documented across the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Middle East between March 1 and November 11. That total includes 35 incidents recorded in October and 10 during the first 11 days of November alone.
“New reports of maritime incidents are emerging daily,” Khiari said. “These incidents are unacceptable. Civilian vessels and commercial shipping must never be targeted.”
The UN briefing followed statements from Iranian authorities on Saturday reporting that three oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines while transiting what Tehran designates as “unauthorized” or “restricted” waters in the strait. Throughout the conflict, Iran has insisted that vessels secure prior clearance before transiting the chokepoint, repeatedly targeting ships accused of violating its directives.
In a warning broadcast by state media outlet IRIB, the Iranian Navy declared: “Any non-compliant tanker operating in the restricted zone east of the Strait of Hormuz will be struck by naval mines and set ablaze.”
Iranian officials have maintained that the strait will remain restricted until Washington meets key conditions—including lifting the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, removing economic sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets, halting hostilities across all fronts, and issuing a formal declaration ending the war.
Conversely, the U.S. military contends that its forces have cleared mines from primary shipping lanes and that the corridor remains open to commercial transit. However, data from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) indicates that vessel traffic transiting the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted by approximately 65 percent compared to pre-war levels.
Warning of cascading global economic fallout, Khiari noted that the regional maritime environment remains “costly, uncertain, and unsafe.” He emphasized that sustained disruptions to Gulf shipping are driving up global energy, freight, and marine insurance costs, stoking inflation, and threatening global food security by severely restricting international fertilizer shipments.
Source: Al Jazeera, United Nations Security Council Briefing & International Maritime Organization (IMO) Dispatches