Gulf Crisis: Guterres calls for de-escalation, warning against returning to full-fledged war

The fighting has violated a temporary ceasefire established under a Memorandum of Understanding the two countries signed in June.

The deal aims to end hostilities that erupted in late February following the US-Israeli attack on Iran and retaliatory attacks by Tehran in the Gulf region.

De-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy

Guterres urged all parties “to immediately take de-escalation steps and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the reporter in New York.

“The Secretary-General reiterates that a return to full-scale hostilities would result in intolerable civilian casualties and have dire consequences for international peace and security and the global economy,” he said.

The UN Secretary General also reiterated his call for the full restoration of international navigation rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime corridor for oil and natural gas exports.

He stressed that the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms must be respected by all parties, in line with international law.