As both Washington and Tehran claim to control the critical commercial shipping route through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, UN agencies on Monday are calling for de-escalation amid the recent spike in strikes in the region related to the US-Iran war.

Weekend exchanges in the Middle East threaten to collapse a fragile interim deal aimed at ending the war.

The number of ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz has fallen amid the conflict as the UN cautions "catastrophic consequences".