Bahrain urges urgent global action over escalating Strait of Hormuz tensions

Oil tanker traffic down over 90%

Risks spreading to food security

Bahrain has called for immediate and coordinated international action over rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the situation now poses serious risks to global stability, food security, and the international legal order.

Speaking on the developments, Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said the situation has evolved from earlier threats against commercial shipping into a broader crisis with worldwide implications, stressing that delay in response could significantly worsen the fallout.

He noted that maritime traffic through the strategic waterway has dropped by more than 90 percent since February 28, warning that the disruption is no longer confined to energy markets but is now affecting global supply chains, particularly food and agricultural inputs such as fertilizers.

Dr. Al Zayani referred to United Nations assessments warning that worsening conditions could push millions into hunger and poverty, including an estimated 45 million additional people facing acute food insecurity and around 4 million in the Arab region at risk of falling into poverty if the crisis continues.

He said Bahrain’s decision to raise the issue at the United Nations Security Council reflects the severity of the situation, describing it as an international emergency rather than a regional dispute.

The Foreign Minister warned that every day without decisive intervention increases the risk of global agricultural disruption, rising hunger levels, and instability in vulnerable countries, adding that developing nations would bear the heaviest burden if the crisis deepens.