Iran says IRGC coordinated 26 vessel passages through Hormuz in 24 hours

The FAO warns the blockage of the strait could trigger a severe global food price crisis within six to 12 months

About a fifth of global energy exports passed through the Strait of Hormuz until the United States-Israel war was imposed on Iran on Feb 28. Photo: Iranian Press TV

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said 26 vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz under its coordination over the past 24 hours, amid continuing tensions with the United States over maritime access in the region, Al Jazeera reports.

"Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is being carried out with permission and in coordination with the IRGC Navy," according to a statement carried by Iran's state-affiliated ISNA News Agency on Wedesday.

Later that day, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority published a new map on X marking out a controlled maritime zone that vessels cannot transit without its authorisation, stretching from Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to south of Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern entrance, and from the tip of Qeshm Island to Umm al-Quwain at the western entrance.

About a fifth of global energy exports used to pass through the strait before the US and Israel went to war with Iran on Feb 28, prompting Tehran to blockade the waterway.

Washington hit back by blocking Iranian ports, cutting off the country's primary source of revenue, putting enormous strain on global energy markets and raising fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Wednesday that continued disruption in Hormuz could trigger a severe global food price crisis within six to 12 months.

The Rome-based agency described the disruption as “the beginning of a systemic agrifood shock”, warning that the fallout was moving beyond shipping and energy into global food supply chains.

“The shock is unfolding in stages: energy, fertilizer, seeds, lower yields, commodity price increases, then food inflation,” the Qatar broadcaster quoted the FAO as saying.

Trump later spoke of “progress” in talks with Iran but also warned that military action could resume if Tehran refuses a deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any return to war would bring “many more surprises”, while the IRGC said any future attack on Iran would widen the conflict beyond the region.

Will Todman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Al Jazeera both sides appear convinced prolonged blockades will strengthen their negotiating position by increasing economic pressure on the other side.