U.K. Lawmaker Warns of ‘Global Food Crisis,’ Urges Immediate Reopening for Strait of Hormuz

(SeaPRwire) –   British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that the world is on the brink of a “global food crisis” due to ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The world is sleepwalking into a global food crisis,” Cooper stated. “We cannot allow tens of millions of people to face hunger simply because one nation has seized control of an international shipping route.”

The British lawmaker emphasized that reopening the Strait must be treated as a top priority, requiring action within weeks to prevent further harm to agricultural markets.

“Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz at this critical time for agriculture underscores why urgent global pressure is needed to reopen the passage, restore the flow of fertilizers and fuel, and alleviate the rising costs of living,” she added, echoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s concerns about the economic impact of the Iran conflict on U.K. households.

Cooper called for the “immediate” reopening of the Strait, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

Iran’s prolonged restriction on maritime traffic has severely disrupted the global economy, leading to significant volatility in energy prices worldwide and prompting governments to reassess their energy strategies.

According to United Nations estimates, global fuel prices have now more than doubled compared to the 2025 average.

In the United States, the national average price of gasoline has climbed to $4.53 per gallon—an increase of nearly 50 cents from just one month prior and over $1.55 higher than before the war began, according to data from the American Automobile Association.

Vessel-tracking data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence indicates that at least 54 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz between May 11 and 17, up from 25 the previous week. This follows reports from Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency suggesting that Tehran had begun allowing certain Chinese vessels to pass.

However, this level of traffic remains far below the 138 vessels that typically transit the strait each day prior to the outbreak of the conflict, as recorded by the Joint Maritime Information Center.

TIME has not been able to independently verify these figures.

With no resolution in sight for the Iran conflict, the U.K. government is not alone in urging the resumption of unrestricted trade through the Strait.

Global concern grows over Iran war’s effect on food security

The Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe previously cautioned that “the Iran conflict has turned the Strait of Hormuz into a critical bottleneck affecting food security,” posing heightened risks to Arab nations that rely heavily on imported food, contend with water scarcity, and are vulnerable to fluctuations in maritime trade, fuel, and fertilizer supplies.

Christian Reynolds, a food policy expert at the Centre for Food Policy at University of London, told TIME that global production of major crops depends significantly on synthetic fertilizers moving freely through the Strait.

Given the damage already inflicted by the trade disruption, Reynolds noted that the focus has shifted from preventing further harm to managing its consequences.

“At this stage, our priority must be understanding how to reduce food insecurity amid the current crisis—this is now about damage mitigation rather than prevention,” he explained.

The International Energy Agency, which earlier this year described the Strait’s closure as the largest oil market supply shock in history, has also warned that shortages in liquefied natural gas (LNG) could further disrupt fertilizer manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Maximo Torero, chief economist at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, warned in April that “time is running out” to avoid dangerous spikes in food prices, especially for poorer countries whose planting seasons are closely tied to seasonal cycles.

Reynolds likened the current situation to the supply shock triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and predicted that developing nations will once again bear the brunt of the fallout.

“This represents a different choke point in the global economy, but it is equally vital to world stability as the Ukraine-related disruption,” he said. “We are now heading toward a scenario where the world’s poorest populations will face increased food insecurity as prices continue to rise.”

In fact, the World Food Programme estimates that “nearly 45 million additional people could fall into acute food insecurity or worse if the conflict persists beyond mid-year and oil prices remain above $100 per barrel.”

Nevertheless, Reynolds argued that the growing food crisis cannot be attributed solely to the Strait’s closure, citing also climate challenges and shrinking humanitarian aid budgets, which limit the capacity to respond effectively.

The UK government announced in 2025 that its foreign aid would be gradually reduced from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) by 2027, while the Trump administration has dismantled USAID.

Despite these constraints, global efforts remain centered on reopening the Strait and restoring the vital trade flows that depend on it.

Last week, the U.K. and France brought together defense ministers and officials from multiple countries to express support for a “strictly defensive” multinational mission aimed at securing safe passage around the Strait following the end of the war.

Cooper is also hosting a Global Partnerships Conference in London to convene governments, businesses, philanthropies, and international organizations to discuss solutions to the escalating agricultural emergency.

Strait of Hormuz used as geopolitical leverage

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright accused Iran of holding “the global economy hostage” last week but indicated that the Strait would likely reopen “by summer at the latest.”

He referenced the U.S. naval blockade and did not rule out the possibility of military intervention to force the waterway’s reopening.

However, disagreements over maritime navigation rights in the Strait continue to block progress in stalled peace talks between Washington and Tehran, despite a fragile cease-fire between the two nations.

Iran demands formal recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait—a condition the U.S. has firmly rejected.

On Tuesday, Tehran unveiled a new entity, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, intended to regulate and impose fees on all vessels seeking passage through the waterway.

But President Donald Trump reiterated to reporters: “That’s not their [Iran’s] Strait. It’s an international waterway.”

He criticized Iran for using the strategic passage as a “military weapon,” noting how Tehran has repeatedly leveraged control of the route during periods of diplomatic tension.