World
Shipping firms plead for UN help amid escalating Middle East conflict
The world’s shipping industry has called on the United Nations to provide military protection for vessels operating in the Middle East after the latest seizure of a container ship by Iran, although much commercial traffic between Asia and Europe has already been re-routed around Africa.
The seizure by Iranian forces of a Portuguese-flagged container ship as it left the Persian Gulf has prompted global shipping companies to demand the United Nations provide increased military protection, with shippers already having been forced to take lengthy detours to maintain European trade flows amid the intensifying conflict in the wider region.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz seized the MSC Aries on Saturday morning (13 April), increasing unease within a shipping industry that has found itself in the crossfire of tit-for-tat hostilities in the Middle East, and prompting Portugal’s foreign ministry to summon Tehran’s ambassador three days later to demand the release of the ship and crew.
“We have seen a worrying increase in the attacks on shipping,” runs the letter to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, made public today (April 19) and signed by the UK-based World Shipping Council, the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) and over a dozen other industry groups.
“The world would be outraged if four airliners were seized and held hostage with innocent souls onboard,” the letter continues. “Regrettably, there does not seem to be the same response or concern for the four commercial vessels and their crews being held hostage,” it states in reference to other vessels seized by Iran in recent months.
The ECSA told Euronews that the intensifying conflict in the region had already led to certain increased shipping costs and jeopardised European trade flows.
“The situation in the region continues to put our seafarers in danger and is increasingly impacting Europe’s supply chain and overall economic security,” secretary general Sotiris Raptis said. “It is essential to safeguard the safety and well-being of our seafarers and to protect key shipping routes and the international principle of freedom of navigation,” he added.
The ECSA welcomed the decision in February to deploy the EU’s naval force to the region in an operation dubbed Aspides, after several months of Yemeni Houthi rebels targeting vessels in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. “We continue to encourage all coordinated efforts, including diplomatic, that can contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis in the area,” Raptis said.
Now Israeli military strikes inside Iran have further raised tensions in the region, with recent moves by Tehran stoking fears that the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the petroleum-rich Persian Gulf, could become a choke point for global oil supply, with potential knock-on effects on the wider economy.
Some 20 million barrels or about a fifth of the world’s oil supply pass daily through the only connection between the Persian Gulf and global trade routes, analysts at ING Global Markets Research said in a note published on 18 April. “Tensions have already been reflected in somewhat higher oil prices, with a large risk premium already priced in before last weekend,” the ING note stated. “This could easily lead to supply concerns should the situation escalate.”
In an advisory note issued this morning (19 April), the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) warned vessels crossing the Arabian Gulf and western Indian Ocean of a potential increase in sightings of unmanned aircraft, or drones, although it said there appeared to be no imminent threat. “There are currently no indications commercial maritime vessels are the intended target,” noted the UKMTO, an information service for global shipping run by the Royal Navy, while requesting captains to report any “suspicious activity”.
For some cargo shippers, however, the impact of the latest developments appears to be limited by the fact that much of the trade flow between Asia to Europe has already been diverted away from the Red Sea and the Suez canal. Maersk, a Danish container shipping firm that vies with the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for the title of world’s largest, stopped using the shortest route to the EU market on 2 January, three days after Houthi forces attacked the container ship Maersk Hangzhou, prompting an intervention by the US military.
“It’s a longer journey, so you need more fuel and more vessels to keep the weekly sailings,” Maersk spokesperson Rainer Horn told Euronews of the firm’s decision to re-route vessels round the Cape of Good Hope. But the impact on trade was “not comparable with what we saw during the Corona pandemic…it’s just a single spot where you can’t sail”.
The increased shipping costs are often negligible for customers using containers to ship their products into Europe, according to Horn. “If you have 30,000 T-shirts in a 40-foot container, and you pay $200 dollars more, it’s a few cents,” Horn said. “The good thing about container shipping is the impact of transport costs are minimal to the product.”
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Iran war update with Méabh Mc Mahon and Babak Kamiar.
Interview with Ghassan Salamé, Lebanese Culture Minister.
Interview with Valérie Hayer, Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe, France).
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The official additionally stated that Iran has reviewed a US 15-point proposal for ending the ongoing war in the Middle East and deemed it “one-sided and unfair,” serving only US and Israeli interests, and lacking “the minimum requirements for success.”
“In brief, the proposal suggests that Iran would relinquish its ability to defend itself in exchange for a vague plan to lift sanctions,” he told Reuters.
No arrangement for negotiations has been established yet, the official continued, adding that Turkey and Pakistan are attempting to “establish common ground between Iran and the United States and reduce differences.”
The proposal, which was conveyed to Iran through Pakistan, “was reviewed in detail on Wednesday night by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader,” the official said.
On Wednesday, Iranian regime-tied Press TV cited an Iranian official as stating that Tehran considered the conditions of the proposal excessive and would only agree to end the war at a time of its choosing if its conditions are met.
According to an N12 News report on Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the details of the potential plan, the US was considering declaring a month-long ceasefire during which negotiations on the agreement would take place.
The 15-point plan reportedly contained terms including the dismantling of all existing Iranian nuclear capabilities, a commitment that Iran will discontinue efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, and a requirement that any already enriched uranium be moved out of Iran.
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U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are being tied to Kyiv ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters in an interview published Thursday.
“The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” Zelenskyy said, describing a proposal he warned could undermine both Ukraine’s defenses and broader European security.
But a U.S. official, speaking on background, told Fox News Digital the claim is false.
Zelenskyy’s comments point to growing pressure from President Donald Trump to reach a swift end to the war, now in its fourth year following Russia’s 2022 invasion.
ZELENSKYY SAYS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE AFTER TRUMP MEETING BUT TERRITORY REMAINS STICKING POINT
Zelenskyy suggested the administration’s approach is influenced in part by competing global crises, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine are being tied to Kyiv ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of a potential peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. (Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The Middle East definitely has an impact on President Trump,” Zelenskyy said. “President Trump, unfortunately, in my opinion, still chooses a strategy of putting more pressure on the Ukrainian side.”
Talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine have taken place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva in 2026, but key issues remain unresolved, including how Ukraine’s future security would be guaranteed and who would fund its long-term defense.
Zelenskyy warned that abandoning Donbas would hand Russia heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines, weakening Kyiv’s position and potentially enabling future aggression.
“I would very much like the American side to understand that the eastern part of our country is part of our security guarantees,” he said.
ZELENSKYY CLAIMS TRUMP SAID US WILL CONSIDER GIVING UKRAINE DECADES OF SECURITY GUARANTEES
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that abandoning Donbas would hand Russia heavily fortified Ukrainian defensive lines. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long insisted that full control of Donbas is central to Moscow’s war aims. While Russian forces have made gains, analysts cited by Reuters say progress has been slow, and capturing the remaining territory could take significant time and manpower.
Zelenskyy also warned that Moscow is betting Washington will lose interest if negotiations stall.
“Russia is counting on the fact that the United States will not have the strength or patience to bring this to an end,” he said.
Despite tensions over negotiations, Zelenskyy thanked the Trump administration for continuing deliveries of Patriot missile defense systems, which Ukraine relies on to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
“Deliveries to us were not stopped. I’m very grateful to President Trump, and to his team,” he said, while adding that supplies remain insufficient.
In parallel with the diplomatic push, Zelenskyy signaled a broader strategy to expand Ukraine’s role as a security provider, particularly in the Middle East, where countries are seeking solutions to large-scale drone and missile threats.
UKRAINE PEACE TALKS PRODUCTIVE AS EX-GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL SAYS COUNTRY RETHINKING ‘UNCOMPROMISING’ STANCE
A cemetery worker prepares a burial vault at military cemetery outside of the city of Dnipro, Ukraine, May 25, 2023. (Seth Herald/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“The United States has reached out to us regarding their bases in Middle Eastern countries,” Zelenskyy wrote on X Thursday, adding that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait have also approached Ukraine.
He said Ukrainian teams are already on the ground sharing operational experience, particularly in countering mass drone attacks.
“No matter how many Patriots, THAADs, or other air defense systems are in the Middle East, that alone is not enough,” he wrote. “There are modern interceptors designed to counter heavy drone strikes.”
Zelenskyy also indicated Ukraine is exploring defense trade arrangements, offering to sell surplus systems and expertise while seeking access to air defense missiles it currently lacks.
“Funding is the scarcest resource today,” he wrote, noting Ukraine’s defense industry is operating at roughly half capacity and needs additional financing to scale drone production.
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Ukraine is exploring defense trade arrangements, the country’s president said. (Iryna Rybakova/Press Service of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Reuters)
In separate posts tied to an address at a Joint Expeditionary Force summit, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s battlefield experience could play a broader role in European and global security.
“We have this experience. … Let’s bring all of this together even more,” he wrote, calling for deeper cooperation with European partners and warning that the continent must build its own capacity to produce air defense systems rather than rely on external suppliers.
Reuters contributed to this story.
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