Guterres calls from Islamabad for an end to the United States-Iran war and the restoration of navigational rights
6 October 2026
Opening a two-day official visit to Pakistan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for an end to the United States-Iran war and to the damage it has done to global trade.
Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, he told all parties to end the conflict, return to diplomacy and fully restore navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law.
The crisis began in late February 2026 following joint United States-Israeli strikes on Iran; Tehran launched counter-attacks on targets in Gulf countries and Jordan and blocked transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor critical for trade in crude oil, fertilisers and liquefied natural gas. Hundreds of ships and their crews have been stuck at sea for months.
Fighting has also spread to Yemen's Red Sea coast, where Houthi forces are battling government troops, supported by Saudi Arabia, for control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Mr Guterres credited Pakistan with helping to create the conditions for dialogue, citing the 17 June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the subsequent ceasefire and the framework for further negotiations.
He also noted that Pakistan and Denmark led Security Council resolution 2823, which strengthens accountability for crimes against UN peacekeepers and drew 153 co-sponsoring countries, the largest number of co-sponsors for a Security Council resolution in UN history.
In plain words
Strait of Hormuz Strait of Hormuz — The narrow sea passage between Iran and Oman linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, through which much of the world's seaborne oil moves.
Bab al-Mandab Bab al-Mandab Strait — The strait between Yemen and Djibouti that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Memorandum of Understanding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) — A written record of an understanding between parties that is usually not a binding treaty.