UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid stalled US-Iran peace talks.
“I appeal to the parties: Open the Strait. Let ships pass. No tolls. No discrimination. Let trade resume. Let the global economy breathe,” Guterres said at a high-level UN Security Council debate on maritime security on Monday.
The Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows — has faced major disruptions since early March after the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on February 28.
The war is currently on hold, and efforts to end it permanently are under way.
“Since early March, the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has struck at global energy security, food supplies, and trade. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints,” Guterres said.
Safe, unimpeded passage is an economic and humanitarian “imperative,” he said, adding: “The economic shock has been immediate – and everyone is paying the price.”
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