Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has warned that Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could result in tens of millions going hungry, as she told an aid summit of the risk of "sleepwalking into a global food crisis."
Global South Bears the Brunt
Speaking at an aid conference in London, Cooper highlighted that the global south is paying the biggest price as the global trade of fertiliser and heating oil is largely blocked. Markets are already pricing in weaker harvests, and the World Food Programme estimates that 45 million people could fall into acute food insecurity if the conflict does not end by mid-year.
Cooper stated: "We meet against the backdrop of the Hormuz crisis, a strait of water through which 90 ships a day used to pass, but for the last three months it's been more like five. Heating oil for Asia – stuck in the Strait, fertilisers for Africa – stuck in the strait, 20,000 seafarers, 800 ships – just stuck in the strait. The global economy is being held hostage, and the global south is paying the biggest price."
Impact on Agriculture and Food Prices
The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and the Arabian peninsula, has been effectively closed since the US and Israel launched their campaign against Iran at the end of February. Tehran's blockade has sent oil prices spiralling and shut off access to major fertiliser factories, threatening to push food prices higher. Cooper warned that the disruption is affecting planting season, with damage already done that will hit crop yields and raise food prices well into next year.
"The world risks sleepwalking into a global food crisis, and we cannot risk tens of millions of people going hungry because Iran has hijacked an international shipping lane," she said.
Calls for Coordinated Action
Cooper called for faster coordinated action from multilateral development banks and specific support for fertiliser markets to alleviate the impact. She noted that the UK is working with UN agencies and the World Food Programme to "pre-position food supplies." She emphasised: "We have to get ahead of the risks, not wait for the suffering to unfold before us."
The International Chamber of Commerce supported Cooper's warning. Secretary General John Denton said: "Fertiliser is a time-critical input: if shipments do not move from the Persian Gulf soon, farmers will miss application windows, crop yields will be lower and food prices will inevitably rise. Higher prices are already forcing farmers to delay or cut fertiliser purchases – demand destruction that will translate directly into weaker harvests."
Reactions from Development Organisations
International development organisation Bond welcomed Cooper's efforts but urged concrete action. Director of Policy and Advocacy Gideon Rabinowitz said: "To make genuine progress on tackling the food crisis now, and reduce risks in the future, the conference should set out plans to help smallholder farmers to increase their production sustainably, drive decarbonisation of agriculture and invest in green fertiliser production."
New Approach to Development
Cooper spoke at the Global Partnerships Conference in London, which aimed to set a new development approach amid cuts to overseas aid budgets. Last year, the UK cut its aid spending target to 0.3% of GDP, while the US administration effectively gutted the US aid agency. The summit, co-hosted by the UK and South Africa, is expected to outline a "partnership" approach focusing on technical advice rather than cash payments.
Development Minister Baroness Jenny Chapman said ahead of the summit: "Countries want to have more control, move beyond aid, attract investment, strengthen their own health and education systems and take charge of their own futures. Traditional development finance alone cannot meet that call, indeed it never could. Nor can it respond to the scale of today's challenges. We need to bring new ideas and a broader coalition of partners to the table."
