Global food supply has become ‘collateral damage’ in conflicts: Secretary-General

The disruption of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, Black Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait has worsened hunger crises and must immediately end, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.Speaking to reporters in New York on Monday, Mr. Guterres warned that the global food supply has become “collateral damage” in conflicts involving the US, Iran, and Israel; Russia and Ukraine; and the Yemeni Houthis and Saudi Arabia.The Secretary-General stressed that “maritime chokepoints must never become instruments of coercion” and that the delivery of food, energy and essential goods must never be impeded.“The unimpeded exercise of navigational rights and freedoms is a cornerstone of peace, security and shared prosperity, and must be respected,” Mr. Guterres said. “Protecting it is a legal obligation and a humanitarian imperative.”Conflicts constrict commercial shippingIn the Strait of Hormuz – which connects the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman between Iran and Oman – commercial shipping has slowed to a trickle.US and Iranian forces have each escorted limited numbers of mostly oil tankers through separate sections of the strait under their control, but Mr. Guterres noted the decline in traff...