UN chief calls on US, Iran to return to talks

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a return to dialogue amid heightened maritime tensions in the Middle East in recent days as the United States and Iran continued to offer conflicting accounts of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

During a news briefing on Wednesday, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN chief, said that Guterres is closely following the developments in the Middle East, including the situation in and around the strait and in the Red Sea.

"The secretary-general remains convinced that a comprehensive and durable settlement can only be reached through dialogue and negotiations," said Haq.

"Such a settlement would help restore stability and confidence across the region, while also safeguarding the navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and in the Red Sea."

Pakistan said it was working to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table ahead of the 60-day deadline of an interim agreement the two parties signed in June, which is set to expire this weekend.

Tahir Andrabi, spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a news briefing on Wednesday that Islamabad remained optimistic that a solution could be in sight as both Tehran and Washington have resorted to talks after the escalation.

He said there have been periods of heightened escalation, followed by relative calm and dialogue.

Andrabi also said an extension of the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington was under consideration. He floated the idea that the ceasefire could be extended if there is a genuine willingness to engage in dialogue.

US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday that the US has "total control" over the strait.

"I think we will keep it! Our naval blockade is being called, by everyone, 'A Wall of Steel', and there is nothing Iran can do about it," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.

Trump claimed Iran had no navy, no air force, and its remaining soldiers are unpaid, adding that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "is decimated and fleeing", and its leadership is uncertain.

"Iran is all talk and no action, the bully of the Middle East no longer," he added.

A senior Iranian official said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the control of the Islamic republic after Trump claimed US control over the strategic waterway.

"Today, you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic republic, and our country continues on its path in complete security," said Hossein Taeb, head of the paramilitary Basij forces affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X on Thursday that the US "has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures".

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the environmental damage caused by the US must be addressed in future arrangements governing the strait.

Baghaei posted a video on his X account showing what he claimed was oil pollution along the shores of Qeshm Island, adding that contamination has been documented at three coastal sites and across portions of the sea surface.

Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency said in a report published on Wednesday that renewed hostilities and maritime disruptions in July and early August "undermined the recovery efforts".

It projects that global oil production will drop by 4.3 million barrels per day this year due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Agencies and Cui Haipei in Dubai, UAE, contributed to this story.

jan@chinadailyapac.com