UN Secretary-General appeals from Islamabad for an end to the United States-Iran war
13 October 2026
UN News reports that the United Nations Secretary-General appealed on 6 October 2026 for an end to the United States-Iran war as he began an official visit to Pakistan.
"From Islamabad, I want to send a loud and clear message to all parties," Antonio Guterres told journalists in the capital. "End the conflict. Return to diplomacy. Fully restore navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law."
The UN says the crisis began in late February 2026 following joint United States-Israeli strikes on Iran, after which Tehran launched counter attacks on targets in Gulf countries and Jordan and blocked transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The UN describes the strait as critical for global trade in crude oil, fertilisers and liquefied natural gas, and says hundreds of ships and their crews have been stuck at sea for months.
Guterres said Pakistan's efforts "helped deliver the 17 June Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the subsequent ceasefire, and the framework for further negotiations".
In plain words
Strait of Hormuz Strait of Hormuz — The narrow sea passage between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula that is the only sea route in and out of the Persian Gulf.