UN to evacuate over 11,000 sailors stranded in Strait of Hormuz

The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) is set to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors who have been stranded in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz since the start of US-Israeli hostilities against Iran. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the large-scale operation would be carried out in cooperation with Iran, Oman, the US, other coastal states in the region, and the maritime industry.

Dominguez stated that they have secured the necessary safety guarantees and thoroughly verified conditions for safe navigation to support these operations. An interim peace deal was signed last week, but the US and Iran continue to clash over details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The US says the MoU includes guarantees that Iran's nuclear weapons program will come under inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran has fully agreed to the highest level of nuclear inspections. However, Iran said the UN watchdog would not be able to inspect nuclear sites bombed by the US and Israel last year. A US official countered that Iran has agreed to robust IAEA inspections but will say otherwise for its domestic audience. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, during a visit to Pakistan on Tuesday, stated that Iran will never negotiate about its defensive capabilities with anyone under any circumstances.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a tour of the Gulf on Tuesday, starting in the UAE, and warned that no country is allowed to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway. He said existing international law prohibits such fees. The evacuation of stranded sailors hinges on the strait remaining open.

Dominguez called the agreement to help the sailors a decisive step towards restoring maritime security and ending unacceptable attacks on civilian shipping. He welcomed the peace agreement between the US and Iran. The IMO's evacuation plan includes two temporary routes through the strait, with vessels contacted individually. The IMO will issue a daily report on ships leaving the region safely.

After the attacks began on February 28, Iran effectively closed the Strait, pushing global oil prices above $100 per barrel of Brent crude. Since the deal was signed, at least 172 vessels have transited the reopened strait, including 42 on Saturday alone. That is still well below the pre-conflict average of about 138 crossings per day. Ship-tracking data shows more than 200 tankers appear to be waiting inside the strait as of Tuesday.