UN chief urges US-Iran talks as Strait of Hormuz hostilities escalate News
MC2 Indra Beaufort, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
UN chief urges US-Iran talks as Strait of Hormuz hostilities escalate

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday called upon Iran and the US to “urgently” resume negotiations as hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz intensified, warning that further escalation could have devastating consequences for regional and global security.

Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the serious escalation” and stressed that a return to full-scale hostilities would have “catastrophic consequences” for the people of the region, international peace and security, and the global economy. He also emphasized the need to ensure full freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Saturday, the US announced that it had struck approximately 140 targets after accusing the Iranian military of attacking a commercial vessel navigating through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed responsibility for strikes on a US military base in Jordan. Iranian missiles and drones also reportedly targeted the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman in response to the US attacks.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the IRGC had “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the IRGC asserted that it had fired only a warning shot at a vessel attempting to use an unauthorized shipping route and subsequently declared the strait closed. The IRGC also condemned what it described as “outside interference from foreign powers,” accusing several vessels of attempting to transit the waterway through unauthorized routes.

Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center reported that crew members aboard a container vessel damaged near the Strait of Hormuz were forced to abandon ship. The agency did not identify the vessel.

The escalating conflict has disrupted maritime traffic through one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors. According to the UN, approximately 6,000 seafarers remain stranded aboard dozens of vessels in the region. The head of the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) earlier this week urged commercial shipping to avoid transiting the Strait of Hormuz until necessary safety conditions are in place.

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