UN says IMO confirms 25 seafarer deaths since Iran war began
UN says IMO confirms 25 seafarer deaths since Iran war began As many as 25 seafarers have been killed in 134 confirmed maritime incidents across the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East since the US and Israeli started war on Iran in February, according to Khalid Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. Briefing the UN Security Council on…
UN officials reveal that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has confirmed 25 seafarer deaths since the US and Israeli initiated military action against Iran in February. Khalid Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific, briefed the UN Security Council on Friday about incidents recorded up to November 11.
The highest monthly number of maritime incidents involving commercial shipping since February was reported in October, warning of escalating energy, transport, and insurance costs, and threatening global food security. Khiari stressed the necessity of halting attacks on civilian vessels and restoring safe maritime navigation, emphasizing that such a situation cannot become the new normal.
Bahrain reported that approximately 1,600 vessels had been affected, leaving over 23,000 seafarers stranded on their ships. Bhargavi Suresh, from India, sat with her two sons in front of a photograph of her deceased husband, Patnala Suresh, outside their home in Visakhapatnam on June 23, 2026.
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