UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded an end to fighting across the Middle East, warning that a conflict that began as a regional war is increasingly becoming a driver of global instability, hunger and poverty. His remarks came as the United States and Iran continue to trade strikes and counterstrikes, with renewed violence reported in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank.
“Throughout my visits and in my ongoing outreach with leaders, one message is impossible to ignore: the region and the world cannot afford more war,” Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Friday, following his visit to the region.
“Let me be clear: the fighting must stop. International navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab must be fully restored and diplomacy must prevail,” he said.
The UN chief noted that trade through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed, energy markets have been upended, prices of food and key fertilizers have surged and supply chains are buckling. The World Food Programme has warned that as many as 45 million people could face acute food insecurity as a result, while rising prices and slowing growth threaten to push millions more back into poverty.
Guterres called the US announcement of an agreement for Hamas to relinquish its weapons and for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza “good news.” “It was announced already that there is a roadmap to implement these objectives. That roadmap must be followed without any questions, scepticism, or determination to undermine it. Now is the time for both sides to implement what was agreed,” he said.
UN agencies reported a rising civilian toll across the region. UNICEF’s acting director for the Middle East and North Africa, Abdul Fofana, said a two-year-old child was reportedly killed alongside the child’s parents after a strike hit a residential building on Qeshm Island off Iran’s southern coast, calling it “yet another stark reminder that children across the region continue to pay the heaviest price.” UNRWA said Israeli restrictions on fuel, engine oil and spare parts entering Gaza have left more than half of its fleet unable to operate and affected 62 water wells.
In the past week, the Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have blockaded Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and have reportedly struck Saudi tankers. Guterres also urged stronger support for Syria’s recovery after years of war, including the full lifting of sanctions, saying he saw “a country beginning to emerge from years of devastation.”
Diplomats said Guterres’ appeal reflected growing concern that the widening conflict, now in its sixth month, is straining global food and energy systems at a time when many developing economies can least afford the shock.
Sources: Middle East Eye, UN News, The Peninsula Qatar
Author: Middle East Desk
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