Strait Of Hormuz Closure By Iran Threatens Food Security In Nigeria, Others — US Warns 

The United States has raised concerns that disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could worsen food insecurity in Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa by limiting fertilizer supplies and driving up energy costs.

The warning was issued during a United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Food Insecurity in New York, where Amb. Jennifer Locetta, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the US Mission to the UN, said attacks and disruptions in the strategic waterway were threatening global trade in oil and fertilizers.

Locetta said the situation was particularly concerning because large volumes of fertilizers used in agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We are outraged that the Iranian regime continues its egregious and unconscionable efforts to disrupt freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.

The Strait, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean, is a major international shipping route for energy and agricultural inputs. Locetta said the disruption was affecting nearly one-quarter of global oil trade and about one-third of fertilizer shipments.

She warned that the impact could soon be felt through declining agricultural production, higher food prices and increased hunger in vulnerable countries.

“The projected loss in agricultural outputs in the coming months mean less food, higher prices, and more hunger in places like Sudan, Nigeria, and the DRC,” Locetta said.

The US envoy also said rising fuel costs were placing additional pressure on humanitarian organisations operating in conflict-affected areas.

According to her, higher prices in places such as Syria and Gaza could reverse some of the fragile progress made by humanitarian agencies and affected communities in addressing food insecurity.

She cited World Food Programme projections that an additional 45 million people globally could experience acute food insecurity as a consequence of the crisis.

Locetta also highlighted the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 16 million people reportedly require food assistance, according to data from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

She said armed groups were restricting humanitarian routes in parts of the DRC, while an Ebola outbreak posed another threat to vulnerable populations.

In Sudan, Locetta said, parties to the conflict had reportedly weaponised access to food, stressing the need for rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance across the country.

She further warned that climate-related events, including El Niño, could compound existing pressures and push millions more people into acute hunger.

The ambassador reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to addressing hunger under UN Security Council Resolution 2417, adopted in 2018, which addresses the link between armed conflict and food insecurity.

She disclosed that the US had recently pledged more than $1 billion to UNICEF and the World Food Programme to support humanitarian, nutrition and food security programmes globally.

According to Locetta, the US is also exploring measures to mitigate the impact of fertilizer shortages.

“The United States will not abandon the needy or leave them to suffer hunger, whether the result of conflicts or natural disasters,” she said.

The warning comes amid concerns that escalating tensions involving Iran and Israel, coupled with attacks affecting shipping routes in the Middle East, could prolong the global food crisis into 2027, with sub-Saharan Africa potentially among the hardest-hit regions.

Nigeria remains particularly vulnerable because of its dependence on imported agricultural inputs. An estimated 70 per cent of the country’s fertilizer and other critical farm inputs are sourced from abroad, making local food production susceptible to disruptions in international supply chains.

The country is already contending with elevated food prices, insecurity in farming communities, high transportation costs, flooding and the economic effects of the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that food inflation stood at 22.22 per cent in July 2026.

Similarly, the UN’s Cadre Harmonisé report projected that more than 31 million Nigerians could face acute food insecurity between June and August 2026 without urgent intervention.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation(FAO) and the World Food Programme(WFP) have also warned that fertilizer shortages and rising diesel costs are putting additional pressure on Nigerian farmers.

The organisations said some smallholder farmers were responding by reducing the amount of land they cultivate or shifting to crops that require fewer inputs, a trend that could affect agricultural output during the 2026/2027 farming season.