#YEREVAN, #Armenia – When Iran closed the Strait of #Hormuz at the start of the war, it stranded roughly 20,000 seafarers aboard more than 2,000 vessels, many of whom had already been at sea for months.

“Despite the announcement of the ceasefire, the requests haven’t stopped,” said Mohamed Arrachedi, who works for the #International #Transport Workers Federation (ITF). He is one of the few lifelines sailors have in the #Persian #Gulf.

The ITF is a federation of trade unions, protecting the labor rights of transport workers, including seafarers. Since the start of the #war in #Iran, the distress calls Mohamed has received are unlike anything he has seen in his 28 years on the job.

Just a week ago, it looked like the Strait of #Hormuz might reopen following the U.S.–Iran peace talks, giving hope to seafarers stranded in the Gulf. Many of them are exposed not only to the mental strain of being stuck at sea, but also to the threat of Iran’s attacks on oil tankers.

But on Monday, the situation took a turn for the worse: the U.S. escalated the crisis by launching a naval blockade, stationing over 15 warships to intercept vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports. Ships that don’t comply could risk being seized by U.S. forces.

Find out more about the human cost of the #blockade and the man fighting for the 20,000 seafarers caught in the #crossfire via the link in! https://www.iranwar.news/p/20k-seafarers-stranded-by-hormuz