Tens of millions of people could face hunger and starvation if fertilisers are not soon allowed through the Strait of Hormuz, the head of a UN task force aimed at averting a looming humanitarian crisis told AFP on Monday.

Iran has had the strategic waterway — through which a third of the world’s fertilisers normally pass — in a chokehold for months in retaliation for the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, disrupting a trade critical for farmers around the world in a race against the end of planting seasons.

“We have a few weeks ahead of us to prevent what will likely be a massive humanitarian crisis,” Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and leader of the task force, told AFP in an interview in Paris.

“We may witness a crisis that will force 45 million more people into hunger and starvation.”

The UN secretary general created the task force in March to spearhead a mechanism to allow fertilisers and related raw materials such as ammonia, sulphur and urea through the strait.

For weeks, Moreira da Silva has been working to convince the belligerent parties to allow even a few ships through, and has met with “more than 100 countries” to rally UN member state support around the mechanism.

A growing number of countries are showing support for the plan, he said, but the United States and Iran, as well as Gulf countries — who are key fertiliser producers, are not yet fully on board.

While the ultimate hope is for a “lasting peace” deal in the region and “freedom of navigation for all commodities” through the strait, “the problem is the planting season can’t wait”, Moreira da Silva said, with some ending in African nations within weeks.

Global focus has been on the economic impacts of the throttled oil and gas trade, but the United Nations has been sounding the alarm of the threat the blockade poses to the world’s food security, with countries in Africa and Asia likely to be particularly hard hit.

‘Political will’

Moreira da Silva said the United Nations could have the mechanism up and running in seven days but even if the strait were to reopen now, it would take three to four months to return to normality.

“It’s just a matter of time. If we don’t stop the origin of the crisis soon, we will have to deal with the consequences through humanitarian aid.”

While food prices have not exploded yet, Moreira da Silva said, there has been a “massive increase” in fertiliser costs, which experts say would likely lead to a drop in agriculture productivity and send food prices soaring.

Moreira da Silva said moving just an average of five vessels a day of fertilisers and related raw materials through the strait would head off the crisis for farmers.

What’s missing, he said, is “the political will”.

“We can’t procrastinate on what is possible to do, and what is urgent to do— which is let the fertilisers cross the strait and, through that, minimise the risk of massive food insecurity at the global level.”

• Allen pleads not guilty to attempted assassination, related charges.
• Defence seeks disqualification of Trump officials present at dinner.
• Allen allegedly sought to attack Trump at White House press gala.
  

WASHINGTON: The man accused of attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a White House reporters’ gala last month pleaded not guilty to all charges on Monday.

Cole Allen, 31, of California, did not speak in court as his attorney Tezira Abe entered the plea on his behalf. The charges include attempted assassination of the president, assault on a federal officer and firearms offences.

Prosecutors allege Allen fired a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent and stormed a security checkpoint in a foiled attack on Trump and other members of his administration at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Allen allegedly travelled to Washington by train, carrying a shotgun, pistol and knives, and booked a room in the Washington Hilton where the April 25 dinner took place.

Allen wore an orange jumpsuit and was shackled at the waist during the brief court proceeding. It was his first appearance in Washington federal court before the judge who will preside over the remainder of the case, US District Judge Trevor McFadden.

A different judge last week apologised to Allen for his treatment in a local Washington, DC, jail, which included being placed on suicide precautions and isolated from other inmates.

The proceeding previewed the next major legal battle in the case, Allen’s attempt to have acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro disqualified from the case because they were present at the dinner and may have been among Allen’s alleged targets.

Allen’s lawyer, Eugene Ohm, said the defence is likely to seek recusal of the entire US Attorney’s Office in Washington, which Pirro leads, because of her friendship with Trump and status as a potential victim.

“It is wholly inappropriate for victims of an alleged event like this to be individually prosecuting the case,” Ohm said.

Prosecutors are set to respond to the defence’s legal filing by May 22. Pirro previously told CNN in an interview that “my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my being there.”

• US President Trump set to visit China this week. 
• Mideast war reshapes US-China broader relationship calculations.
• China calls for “complete cessation of hostilities”.
  

BEIJING: The Iran war has strained US–Chinese ties further and looks set to dominate the May 14 to 15 summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart and host Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Below are the key issues at stake for Washington and Beijing as the US-Israeli war with Iran reshapes calculations in their broader relationship:

Iran ceasefire talks 

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that the two presidents will discuss the Iran war, and urged China to “join us in this international operation” to open the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.

But while Beijing worked behind the scenes to convince Iran to hold peace talks with the US in Pakistan last month, analysts say it would not act solely at Washington’s behest.

After last week’s visit to Beijing by Iran’s foreign minister, China called for a “complete cessation of hostilities”.

On the nuclear issue, it said that “China appreciates Iran’s commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, while also recognising Iran’s legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”

The US believes Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb and wants Iran to give up its right to enrichment for 20 years and hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Energy security 

China’s energy security faces increasing risks as the war drags on, forcing Beijing to cut its lucrative exports of refined products such as gasoline or jet fuel to protect its domestic market.

Around half of China’s crude oil imports are shipped from the Middle East, where the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and US blockade have left ships stranded inside the Gulf and vulnerable to attacks.

The conflict slashed China’s total crude oil imports in April by 20% from a year ago to the lowest level in almost four years, according to Chinese customs data.

China’s foreign ministry has said the US blockade of the strait does not serve the common interest of the international community. It also confirmed last week that an oil products tanker with Chinese crew was attacked in the strait.

US sanctions over Iranian oil, weapon sales  

China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil despite pressure from the Trump administration.

More than 80% of Iran’s shipped oil has been destined for China, as Chinese independent refiners take advantage of discounted US-sanctioned oil. Kpler estimates that China bought an average of 1.38 million barrels per day of Iranian oil in 2025.

In April, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Chinese independent refinery Hengli Petrochemical for buying billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil, making good on its threats of sanctioning buyers. The Treasury has also written to two Chinese banks warning of secondary sanctions if they facilitated trade of Iranian oil.

Beijing has pushed back. The Ministry of Commerce ordered companies not to comply with US sanctions against five refiners, for the first time invoking a law that allows Beijing to retaliate against entities enforcing sanctions it deems unlawful.

Just days before Trump’s visit, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on two companies in China and two in Hong Kong it accused of supplying and facilitating efforts for Iran to purchase weapons from China and materials used in ballistic missiles.