Khiari at the Security Council: 134 maritime incidents and 25 sailors killed in Hormuz and the region

Mohamed Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, told the Security Council that attacks on commercial ships are continuing, and that a large number of ships and their crews have remained detained in the Arabian Gulf for months, warning that restrictions imposed by the parties on maritime transport increase uncertainty.

The session was held at Bahrain's request to discuss developments in the Middle East and the threats facing maritime security.

Khiari said the International Maritime Organization had recorded 134 documented incidents up to 11 November in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East maritime area, and that 25 sailors lost their lives, while others were injured or missing. He was quoted as saying: "These incidents are unacceptable. Civilian and commercial ships must not become targets."

He noted that energy exports from the region had been largely restored via alternative routes, but that maritime shipments remain below pre-conflict levels. He reported that no attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea had been reported recently, while clashes around the Bab al-Mandab Strait and threats to freedom of navigation remain a source of concern, and he condemned Houthi attacks on civilian and energy facilities in Saudi Arabia.

He said that disruption to maritime transport raises the cost of energy, transport and insurance and fuels inflation, and restricts fertilizer shipments in a way that threatens food security, calling for maritime corridors not to be used as a tool of pressure. He demanded that all parties abide by their obligations under international law, restore navigational rights and freedoms, and immediately halt attacks on commercial ships.

Khiari welcomed the absence of a wide-scale military confrontation in the region since the start of September, but expressed concern over rhetoric that suggests a new military confrontation, and called for continued negotiations between Iran and the United States in good faith, warning that renewed fighting would have devastating consequences for Iran, the region and beyond.