© NASA Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz separating the United Arab Emirates and Iran. Escalation of attacks in the Persian Gulf: UN chief calls on Iran and the US to urgently resume negotiations Peace and Security
Renewed strikes between Iran and the United States in the Persian Gulf have heightened fears of a return to full-scale war. Washington at the same time denied Tehran’s statement that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz was blocked on Sunday.
Tehran carried out a series of strikes on a US military base in Jordan on Sunday, according to US reports, while authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait said they were hit by missile and drone attacks from Iran.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned about the serious escalation” and called for a halt to all attacks. Guterres called on all warring parties to “exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory actions and take immediate steps to reduce tensions,” the Secretary-General reiterated that a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences for people in the region and beyond, as well as for the world economy.
Freedom of navigation
The escalation of hostilities led to rising energy prices, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz stopped again, despite a memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington 17 June.
About 6 thousand sailors are still on dozens of ships stuck in the strait. The head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Domínguez, earlier this week called for transit through the water corridor to be avoided entirely “until the necessary security conditions are ensured.” Guterres stressed the need to restore “full freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz. “The Secretary-General strongly Calls on Iran and the United States to immediately resume negotiations and resolve remaining differences diplomatically,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.