Key facts
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged de-escalation in the Middle East.
- Guterres called for the safety of humanitarian operations.
- Guterres called for the restoration of free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
- Guterres warned that a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security and the global economy.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged de-escalation and a return to diplomacy in the Middle East as fighting ramps up in Yemen between the Houthi group and Saudi Arabia. Guterres stated that de-escalation must be the top priority, and all parties must cease actions that harm civilians. He also called for humanitarian operations to proceed safely and without obstruction, and for the full restoration and respect of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in accordance with international law. The UN chief warned that a return to full-scale hostilities would exact an intolerable toll on civilians and have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security and the global economy. The fighting has broken an interim truce established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in June, which sought to end hostilities that erupted in late February following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and counter attacks by Tehran across the Gulf region.