UN News Today 23 July 2026 |

Iran-US war offers no respite for thousands of stranded seafarers

As the Iran-US war continues, the key question remains unanswered about how shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be managed going forward – although the UN has strongly underlined in an interview with UN News that charging tolls for safe passage runs contrary to international law.

In an update, the UN International Maritime Organization – IMO – said that “very few ships, if any” are actually sailing across the narrow waterway, following renewed attacks on vessels since hostilities resumed 10 days ago.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez expressed deep concern for the 6,000 seafarers still trapped on around 500 ships moored in the Persian Gulf behind the strait:

“We need to remember that these are innocent people that are trained to do the work, that they are not trained for combat, and the vessels are not prepared to defend themselves against missiles and drones. So, let’s just keep an eye and actually enhance the visibility and the importance of the seafarers around the world, because without them, shipping will not operate. Without them,
90 per cent of goods that are transported by ships will not be able to reach their final destinations and all of us are going to be impacted.”

In peacetime, the Strait of Hormuz transports an estimated 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies from the Gulf region. 

IMO’s Mr. Dominguez stressed that shipping should not attempt to cross the narrow waterway until the conflict has been resolved.

“Very little progress” has been made regarding the future of the strait, “because the reality is that we need de-escalation in order to continue negotiations,” he said.

Global trade surge indicates price inflation not higher volumes

In related news, the latest snapshot of international trade indicates that the war has contributed to goods sales of $13.7 trillion in the first half of 2026, an increase of 12.5 per cent from the same period in 2025. 

Higher energy prices – and not greater volumes – directly linked to the US-Iran conflict are behind the steep rise, according to the UN Trade and Development agency, UNCTAD.

It noted that a 10.5 per cent increase in services traded over the same period had added around $2 trillion to the overall value of global commerce, which is on course for record returns by the end of the year.

UNCTAD’s Global Trade Update highlights the increasingly uneven expansion of international trade in the first half of 2026.

East Asia was the main engine of global trade growth in the first quarter of 2026, the agency said, supported by strong imports and exports in China and Korea. 

But trade in other Asian countries contracted, while Africa and the Americas saw stronger import growth, rather than exports.

WHO issues new swim guidelines amid spike in summer drownings

A staggering 300,000 people die from drowning every year and ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25 July, the World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled key measures to help governments tackle the problem.

The campaign – called Protect – includes seven evidence-based measures, such as teaching children to swim, improving water transport safety, strengthening flood preparedness and expanding rescue and resuscitation skills.

“Every drowning is a tragedy, and most are preventable,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 

WHO warns that climate change is increasing drowning risks as floods, storms and heatwaves become more frequent. More than 90 per cent of drowning deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.

The new guidelines are launching in Ghana, where an estimated 1,100 people die from drowning every year, highlighting the need for coordinated, evidence-based action to save lives.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.