UN Plans Evacuation Of 11,000 Sailors Stranded In Strait Of Hormuz

The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) is preparing a large-scale operation to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Gulf following months of disruptions caused by the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the evacuation would be conducted in cooperation with Iran, Oman, the United States and other regional partners after obtaining assurances for safe navigation.

“We have secured the necessary safety guarantees and have thoroughly verified the conditions for safe navigation to support these operations,” Dominguez said, describing the effort as “a decisive step towards restoring maritime security.”

The operation depends on the continued reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route that Iran effectively shut after hostilities escalated earlier this year.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that no country has the right to impose transit charges on vessels using the strait.

“It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law,” Rubio said during a visit to the United Arab Emirates.

The evacuation plan comes amid lingering disagreements between Washington and Tehran over the implementation of their recent memorandum of understanding, particularly regarding inspections of Iran’s nuclear programme by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).