UAE-Tabled, India-Backed: Nations express concern over closure of Hormuz at UN Maritime Body

The United Nations' maritime watchdog has delivered a sharp message to Iran over closure of Strait of Hormuz, with India among more than 100 countries backing a landmark resolution demanding Tehran back down. In an extraordinary session in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council "strongly condemned" Iran's attacks on vessels and its "purported closure" of the vital waterway, warning that such actions represent "a grave danger to life, particularly seafarers, and serious risk to the marine environment".

The declaration, tabled by the United Arab Emirates and co-sponsored by over 115 member states, is a record in IMO history, and also condemned Iran's broader attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Jordan as a "breach of international law".

"Any attempt to impede lawful transit passage or freedom of navigation in these waterways constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security," the Council stated, explicitly referencing UN Security Council resolution 2817 (2026), which earlier affirmed the same principle.

The IMO demanded that Iran "immediately refrain from any actions or threats aimed at closing, obstructing or otherwise interfering with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz or against merchant or commercial vessels in and around the Strait". It reaffirmed that navigational rights for commercial shipping must be respected, amid reports of thousands of seafarers stranded on vessels trapped in the Gulf due to the disruptions.

India's envoy to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, speaking at an extraordinary session of the International Maritime Organization, expressed deep concern over escalating attacks in West Asia that have killed seven seafarers, including three Indians, injured four others, and left one missing.

He extended condolences and stressed: "Attacks on commercial shipping and civilian maritime infrastructure are unacceptable."

Doraiswami highlighted that 23,000 seafarers have been impacted, warning that any obstruction or closure of the Strait of Hormuz would have "direct consequences" for India's economy, global energy, and humanitarian supply chains.

"We remain deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of all seafarers," he said, urging respect for navigational rights and calling for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate the crisis.

India was among the key supporters, having co-sponsored the draft declaration submitted earlier, aligning with its prior stance at the UN Security Council where it backed a similar condemnation of Iranian actions. The UAE hailed the outcome as a demonstration of "the international community's shared responsibility to ensure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz".

The move comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions in West Asia including strikes that have crippled shipping through the narrow chokepoint, a route carrying about a fifth of the world's oil supplies. The IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez warned that "when seafarers die, statements are not enough" and stressed that "a human life cannot be replaced," amid the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.