UN says at least 25 seafarers killed in and around Strait of Hormuz since war began; Iran warns tankers of mines

The UN’s International Maritime Organization tracked 136 security incidents involving vessels in Hormuz and the wider Middle East between March 1 and November 11, with October alone accounting for 35 incidents, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began. Ten incidents were recorded in November.

Since the war began, Tehran has warned vessels that they must receive Iranian approval to cross the waterway during the conflict and has repeatedly attacked ships accused of violating its protocol. The US military claims it has cleared the strait’s main routes of mines and that the waterway is open for commercial shipping.

Khiari warned that “every day brings new reports of maritime incidents” and stressed that “civilian vessels and commercial shipping must not become targets.” The disruptions continue to have significant global economic consequences, he said, driving up energy, transport and insurance costs and threatening food security amid severely constrained fertiliser shipments.

Iranian authorities reported on Saturday that three oil tankers had hit mines and caught fire while travelling through areas described as unauthorised or restricted in Hormuz. The Iranian navy warned that “any offending tanker that travels in the restricted area east of the Strait of Hormuz will be set on fire by hitting naval mines.” Iranian officials have insisted the strait will not be open until the US meets demands, including an end to the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports and the lifting of economic sanctions.

Shipping through the strait is approximately 65 percent below pre-war levels, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Khiari told the Security Council that “the present maritime arrangements in the Middle East remain costly, unpredictable, and unsafe.”