The war in the Middle East, unleashed February 28 by Israel and the United States against Iran, provoked reprisals from Tehran across the region and a shipping blockade in Hormuz, a crucial global trade route.

"Right now, we have approximately 20,000 crewmen and around 1,500 ships trapped," IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez told the Maritime Convention of the Americas.

Dominguez said that maritime shipping moves over 80 percent of total consumed products in the world.

The stranded crew members "are innocent people who are doing their jobs every day for the benefit of other countries," but "are trapped by geopolitical situations outside their control," Dominguez told the gathering of industry executives and IMO representatives.

"Ten sailors have lost their lives" in more than 30 attacks on vessels, he later told reporters.

The IMO chief urged avoiding sending vessels to the Gulf so as not to increase the death toll among sailors or incur further economic losses.

Before the conflict's outbreak, a fifth of the world's total petroleum and gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The closure has led to a significant global surge in the price of hydrocarbons.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump announced a naval operation to escort the trapped ships and force the opening of the strait, but called off the push shortly after.

Washington is now waiting for an Iranian response to proposals for ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.