UN official warns a delayed US-Iran fertilizer deal for Strait of Hormuz shipments could put food security at risk in Asia and Africa

Jorge Moreira da Silva, the UN under-secretary-general overseeing an initiative to move fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz, warned Wednesday that failure by the United States and Iran to reach an agreement within weeks could trigger a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa.

The UN established a task force in March to facilitate the shipments, but the mechanism has not yet been implemented. Moreira da Silva said it could be activated within 7-10 days of an agreement between Washington and Tehran.

“It’s absolutely crucial to get the deal in the next few weeks. Otherwise, we will miss the planting season,” he said in an interview in Bangkok, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.