The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Monday that ships with agricultural products must be allowed to transit through the disputed Strait of Hormuz, saying that a protracted closure could trigger spikes in inflation later in 2026.
“The clock is ticking," FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said, according to a U.N. news release, adding that poorer nations could be at risk of not being able to obtain scarce fertilizer and energy inputs due to the strait's effective closure.
"The last thing we want is lower crop yields and higher commodity prices and food inflation for the next year,” he said, adding that higher interest rates and slower economic growth could occur.
“The risks are very clear,” Torero said. “If we don’t accelerate ... the risks will exacerbate.”
Large proportions of the world’s supply of oil, natural gas, and fertilizers are unable to be carried by ships as they cannot safely transit the Strait of Hormuz due to the war. Iranian officials on multiple occasions have said they would restrict the waters of the strait, accusing civilian ships of being used to support the U.S.–Israeli strikes against the country.
Since the war started in late February, Iran responded to U.S.–Israeli strikes by launching attacks on civilian ships in the region, including oil-carrying vessels, as well as firing missiles and drones at neighboring countries.
President Donald Trump and the U.S. military have both said a naval blockade would be imposed on Iranian ports in the strait and elsewhere after talks between Washington and Tehran fell through in Pakistan over the past weekend.
In a post on Monday, Trump wrote that "34 Ships went through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, which is by far the highest number since this foolish closure began."
Trump said on Sunday that Iran has sought to have vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz pay a fine, warranting the need to implement the U.S. naval blockade that went into effect Monday morning. Ships that have paid a toll to Iran would be interdicted by the U.S. Navy in international waters as the blockade continues, he also said.
Iranian officials, in response to the blockade, warned the country's military would potentially launch attacks on ports in the Middle East and would move to attempt to gain permanent control over the strait, which links the Persian Gulf to the wider ocean.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran clearly and decisively declare that security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for all or for none,” an official with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps said through state-run Tasnim News.
"The restrictions encompass the entirety of the Iranian coastline, including ports and energy infrastructure," the UK group said, adding that "transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations is not reported to be impeded by these measures."
Some vessels may experience military presence in the region or other measures during their passage, the group said, adding that neutral vessels that are currently at Iranian ports were "granted a limited grace period" to leave.
A Pentagon spokesperson, asked to comment on Monday, referred The Epoch Times to the UKMTO notice to mariners on the blockade.