UN Maritime Agency Urges Shipping Companies To Avoid Strait of Hormuz Amid U.S.-Israel-Iran War

The UN’s maritime agency urged shipping companies to avoid transiting the Strait of Hormuz to protect mariners’ lives amid the current war in the Middle East.

“The United Nations says more than 117 million people are forcibly displaced amid ongoing violence worldwide”

CNN

The International Maritime Organization’s Director-General Arsenio Dominguez said, "I stand in solidarity with the many crews who continue to ensure the continuity of global maritime transport under extremely difficult circumstances," during an extraordinary session in London.

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The UN News report said the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed due to the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, and that the passage supports the passage of 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.

It also said at least seven mariners have been killed and several others have been injured in multiple attacks against merchant ships since the start of the war on February 28.

The report added that about 20,000 mariners remain aboard 3,200 vessels in the Persian Gulf, exposed to high risks and considerable psychological pressure.

UNWTO’s World Tourism Barometer highlighted a double-digit rise in arrivals in 2025 in Iceland, Brazil, and Egypt, with Japan recording double-digit growth in international arrivals up 17% in the months leading up to November 2025 compared with 2024.

Euronews reported that other fast-growing destinations included Brazil, up 37% for the year, and Egypt, up 20%, while Iceland in Europe was up 29%.

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VisasNews said about 60 million additional international visitors traveled in 2025 compared with 2024, bringing the sector closer to its average annual growth rate of 5% observed between 2009 and 2019.

VisasNews also quoted Shaikha Alnuwais, the secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization, saying the positive trend is expected to continue in 2026 as the global economy is anticipated to maintain solid momentum.

The VisasNews report added that international tourist arrivals are estimated at 1.52 billion in 2025, with Europe hosting 793 million visitors.

The World Meteorological Organization warned on Monday, March 23, that the planet reached its record for accumulated heat in 2025 in its annual State of the Climate report.

“The latest World Tourism Barometer from UNWTO highlights a double-digit rise in arrivals in 2025 in Iceland, Brazil, and Egypt”

Euronews

TIME France quoted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying, "The global climate is in an emergency, with the Earth pushed beyond its limits and all key climate indicators in the red," and it said the 11 warmest years on record were between 2015 and 2025.

TIME France reported that temperatures rising by 1.43 C between 2015 and 2025 were 0.13 C above the preindustrial average of 1850–1900, and it said 2025 ranks third among the hottest years ever observed.

In a separate displacement context, the UN Refugee Agency said the number of displaced people worldwide fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade, attributing the decline to the return home of about 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced people.

مونت كارلو الدولية added that the report said refugee returns were not comfortable, and it noted that the return of 2.9 million Afghans to their homeland is attributed to stricter policies in Iran and Pakistan.