UN begins evacuating 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz
The UN’s International Maritime Organization began evacuating more than 11,000 sailors left stranded in the Strait of Hormuz on June 23, working with Iran, Oman, other coastal states, the US, and shipping firms. The crews were trapped after Tehran effectively closed the waterway during the war that began on February 28, leaving vessels stuck on both sides of the world’s most important oil chokepoint.
Shipping has rebounded since the US-Iran agreement signed on June 17. Thirty-six commercial ships passed through on Monday — the most since the war started — but hundreds of vessels are still waiting, which is why the evacuation focuses on relieving crews rather than moving every ship at once.
The reopening is not fully settled. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted no country may “charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,” while Iran’s chief negotiator said the strait “will never return” to its pre-war status. Both sides did agree to set up communication channels to keep the passage open, signaling that day-to-day transit is functioning even as the legal and financial terms remain disputed.