Photo: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
UN Details Seafarer Casualties in the Strait of Hormuz
The United Nations has reported that at least 25 seafarers have lost their lives in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran in February. The figures were presented by Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, during a UN Security Council briefing.
Covering the period up to November 11, Khiari stressed that the current situation must not become normalized and called for the complete restoration of maritime navigation in the area. He highlighted a steady increase in security incidents within the region, noting that October recorded the highest number of incidents since the conflict began.
Maritime Incidents and Economic Impacts
Data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) indicates that 136 security incidents involving vessels were tracked in the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Middle East between March 1 and November 11. This total includes 35 incidents in October alone and 10 in November. Khiari emphasized that civilian vessels and commercial shipping must remain protected and should not be targeted.
The security disruptions have severely impacted maritime traffic. According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), shipping volumes through the Strait of Hormuz remain approximately 65 percent below pre-war levels. The UN warned that these ongoing disruptions carry significant global economic consequences, contributing to higher energy, transport, and insurance costs, increasing inflation, and threatening food security due to restricted fertilizer shipments.
Conflicting Stances on Waterway Access
The security concerns were further underlined following reports from Iranian authorities that three oil tankers caught fire after striking mines in restricted areas of the strait. Tehran requires vessels to obtain Iranian approval prior to transiting the waterway and has warned that unauthorized tankers traveling in the designated restricted zone face naval mine strikes.
Iranian officials have maintained that the strait will remain closed until specific demands are met by the United States, including the cessation of the naval blockade on Iranian ports, the lifting of economic sanctions, the release of frozen funds, a halt to fighting, and a formal declaration ending the war. Conversely, the US military maintains that the primary routes of the strait have been cleared of mines and that the waterway remains open for commercial transit.
- At least 25 seafarers killed since February
- 136 security incidents tracked by the IMO
- Shipping levels down 65 percent from pre-war volumes
Source: UN says 25 seafarers killed in, around Hormuz since US-Israel war on Iran