The International Maritime Organization has warned that dispatching warships to escort commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is not a long‑term or sustainable response to rising security risks in the Gulf. IMO Secretary‑General Arsenio Domínguez told the Financial Times that naval escorts cannot “100 percent” guarantee safe passage and that the underlying dangers to merchant shipping would remain.
Domínguez also raised concern for crews trapped aboard vessels lingering in Gulf waters, and announced the IMO would convene a special council meeting in London on March 18–19 to discuss immediate and co‑ordinated measures for navigation and seafarer welfare. The IMO, the UN body responsible for maritime safety and preventing ship‑borne pollution, is focused on short‑term mitigation while warning against military solutions as a durable policy.
The warning comes as Washington’s push for a coalition to escort tankers through Hormuz has met a cool reception. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had received some “positive responses” from potential partners, but U.S. media reported no nation had committed warships; Trump has publicly complained that allies are not “returning favours.”
The stakes are high: the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most important energy choke points. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that roughly 20 million barrels per day of crude and petroleum products will pass the strait in 2025, underpinning nearly $600 billion in annual energy trade, and the International Energy Agency warned that current supply losses exceed those seen in the 1973 oil crisis.
Policy responses are stacking up beyond naval talk. The IEA agreed to release 400 million barrels from strategic reserves across 32 member states to calm markets, while industry faces increased insurance costs, navigational delays and the humanitarian problem of crew supplies. The IMO’s intervention signals a pivot toward seeking collective regulatory, humanitarian and commercial measures rather than an extended military deployment.