UN Chief Urges De-escalation, Warns Against Return to Full-Scale US-Iran War
By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN head António Guterres on Wednesday voiced deep concern over the ongoing military escalation in the Middle East after the airstrikes by the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
He said in a note to reporters issued by his spokesman Stewphane Dujarric in New York that the fighting has broken an interim truce established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two countries in June.
It noted that the deal sought to end hostilities that erupted in late February after US-Israeli strikes on Iran and counter attacks by Tehran across the Gulf region.
UN spokesman Dujarric told reporters that Mr. Guterres urged all parties “to take immediate steps for de-escalation and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy”
“The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would exact an intolerable toll on civilians and have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security and the global economy,” he said.
He also reiterated his call for the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime corridor for oil and natural gas exports.
Mr. Guterres stressed that the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms must be respected by all sides, in line with international law.
