UN News Today 09 July 2026 |

US-Iran war leaves shipping at near-standstill in Hormuz again

Renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran reportedly brought shipping to a near-standstill in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, leaving around 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels and Gulf countries on high alert for further attacks.

Echoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s alarm at the resumption of strikes and counterstrikes between the US and Iran, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Member States on Thursday condemned Iran’s “continued threats” and alleged attacks.

In a call to protect “vital shipping lanes”, Bahrain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and others underscored the impact on sea transport “particularly in and around the Strait of Hormuz”, a key global energy lifeline.

In a separate submission, Iran alleged “armed interference with Iranian commercial vessels” and “aggression carried out by the United States” and Israel. 

The agency’s Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez insisted that all transit through the Strait should be avoided until it was safe to do so and noted that the evacuation of stranded seafarers would remain on hold. 

According to IMO data, 136 ships have been evacuated along with 2,900 seafarers to date.

Afghanistan’s needs in spotlight amid unprecedented refugee influx

To Afghanistan, where UN agencies warn that an “unprecedented” influx of refugees has put host communities already suffering acute poverty under immense pressure.

Six million Afghans have returned to the country in just the last three years, said the UN Development Programme, UNDP, and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, who’ve called for international support to help the country’s most vulnerable individuals.

Here’s UNHCR spokesperson Matt Saltmarsh:

“The returns in recent years to Afghanistan have been unprecedented and these are huge numbers and these are people who are returning, travelling with nothing in most cases and many had no choice in the decision on returning. And that’s why UNHCR has been in the country with our partners at UNDP. We’ve been looking at what’s needed on the ground to help these people who have returned. Overall, t  he needs are huge in the country.”

Echoing that message, UNDP chief Alexander de Croo said that the people who are returning to Afghanistan “need jobs. They need access to basic services. They need the opportunity to rebuild their lives”.

Iran and Pakistan host the vast majority of Afghan refugees, but recent policy changes and economic pressures have resulted in many being deported back to Afghanistan.

The situation comes at a time of steep aid cuts and declining international attention which risk deepening poverty and fuelling further displacement in Afghanistan.

Humanitarians point out that the country’s economy remains fragile after four decades of war and worsening climate shocks.

The lack of women’s participation in everyday life is also impacting the economy, the result of increasingly harsh decrees by the de facto authorities banning them from getting an education or even leaving home unaccompanied.

Sahel families facing impossible choices amid conflict, hunger and displacement

Sobering news now from Africa’s Sahel region, where more than 24 million people are in critical need of humanitarian aid.

That’s the worrying message from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, which said that families now face “impossible choices” to survive.

Conflict, hunger, displacement and climate shocks have caused “extreme vulnerability”, OCHA says, while funding remains critically low.

The agency’s Roberto Colombo warned that the coming months will be especially challenging, as more than 50 million people are expected to be acutely food insecure during the lean season: 

“Behind those numbers are families making impossible choices every day. Across the region, millions of people are living through a combination of violence, displacement, hunger and climate shocks. Parents are struggling to feed their children. Families who have fled their homes are trying to build their lives with very little support. Many children have spent years without access to education, while communities face increasing uncertainty about their future.”

The Sahel crisis is unfolding across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, the Far North of Cameroon and Northeast Nigeria. 

All those impacted need sustained support and collective action from the international community to ensure that vulnerable communities are not left behind at a time when they need most help, Mr. Colombo insisted.

Daniel Johnson, UN News