UN looks for a short-term solution for moving fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz

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+ World UN looks for a short-term solution for moving fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz April 16, 20265:38 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Michele Kelemen UN looks for a short-term solution for moving fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz Listen &middot; 2:29 2:29 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5787688/nx-s1-9733419" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The U.N. looks for a quick solution to get cargo ships with fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz, to prevent a global food crisis. Sponsor Message AILSA CHANG, HOST: It's not just oil that has been stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Fertilizer has been stuck, too. And if this dispute between the U.S. and Iran about the control over the strait continues much longer, the United Nations says there could be a massive impact on food security in the world's poorest countries. NPR's Michele Kelemen spoke with a U.N. official who heads a task force looking for a solution.

+ MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: Jorge Moreira da Silva is a Portuguese engineer who runs the U.N. Office for Project Services. He's pitching a short-term fix to help some cargo ships get through the Strait of Hormuz. JORGE MOREIRA DA SILVA: One-third of all fertilizers in the world are coming from the Persian Gulf, with a high dependence of countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka. KELEMEN: The global market for fertilizers has already been disrupted, and he says he's seen some alarming data. MOREIRA DA SILVA: The World Food Programme just published a report saying that in the next few weeks and months, we likely have 45 million people being forced into hunger, starvation. That's why we need a solution. KELEMEN: We meet at the U.N. offices in Washington, where he's in between meetings. Moreira Da Silva says he's heard concern around the world, and most agree that this can't wait until the U.S. and Iran resolve all their issues. So he wants a new system in the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.N. can clear cargo ships carrying fertilizer and related raw materials. MOREIRA DA SILVA: It's all about deconfliction, monitoring and verification and reporting. KELEMEN: The United Nations has experience with getting critical goods through wartime blockades in Ukraine, Yemen and Gaza. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly tells NPR that economic disruptions resulting from Iran's actions are temporary. In an email, she writes, quote, "the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has been successful, and the Strait of Hormuz should open soon." She didn't comment on the U.N. proposal. Moreira Da Silva says his plan is not the long-term solution. MOREIRA DA SILVA: This is not the new normal. The normal must continue to be freedom of navigation about everything. What we are proposing is a time-bound, short-term exceptional measure to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis. KELEMEN: And he says he can get U.N. monitors in place in seven days if there's political will to make it happen. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department. (SOUNDBITE OF BADBADNOTGOOD AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH SONG, "FOOD") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();