New York: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday and called for the Middle East conflict to be resolved through dialogue, while stressing respect for international law and navigation rights in the Strait of Hormuz.
A UN statement said Guterres stressed the urgent need for a diplomatic resolution to the war between the US and Iran and reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to supporting efforts aimed at this goal.
The meeting came after Iran proposed a seven day plan to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier on Friday that Tehran had conveyed the proposal to Washington through Qatar. He said the strait could be reopened within seven days if the necessary conditions were met. The US has not responded publicly to the proposal as yet.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key issue in the conflict due to its role in global energy shipments. Iran has effectively closed the waterway since fighting began, disrupting global energy supplies.
Guterres’ meeting with Pezeshkian took place as diplomatic efforts continued to address both the wider conflict and the status of the strategically important waterway. Pakistan has played an essential mediatory role in trying to resolve the issue, a fact noted by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in his speech at the UNGA on Friday.
Negotiations under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed in Islamabad have continued despite violations by both parties and this latest proposal is also being made within the context of the original MoU.
Within this framework, Iran would receive financial benefits, sanctions relief and an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, while allowing managed passage through the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to discuss its nuclear programme at a later date, as well as end the hostilities in Lebanon and on other fronts.
