UN chief warns against stoking Gulf tensions

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concerns about the recent escalation in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States and Iran exchange their biggest waves of strikes on shipping in recent days.

Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief's spokesman, highlighted the attacks against commercial vessels in the strait.

"The secretary-general is deeply concerned by reports of further escalations in and around the Strait of Hormuz over the past days, including attacks against commercial vessels and threats of additional action against maritime and energy infrastructure," Dujarric said.

He reiterated Guterres' appeal to all parties concerned to exercise utmost restraint and refrain from actions and rhetoric that could further inflame an already volatile situation.

"Any further escalation risks grave consequences for civilians, regional stability, international peace and security, and the global economy," he said.

Guterres is pushing for all parties to make full use of diplomatic channels and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations, he added.

"The United Nations Secretariat ... is ready to support all credible efforts aimed at de-escalation and a comprehensive and durable settlement."

The concerns came as US President Donald Trump said the war could end immediately after the midterm elections in November, because Iran is unable to "hold out any longer".

"Originally, I wanted to make a deal. We're so far down the line," he told reporters.

"A negotiation could possibly happen, but it's not something we're looking at. This war will end immediately after our election," he added.

The US and Iran were again locked in tit-for-tat strikes in the region, with Iranian oil tankers attacked and US bases facing strikes from Tehran. CBS News reported on Wednesday that several US aircraft were damaged in Iranian strikes on a US base in Jordan.

Explosions were heard on Thursday in the coastal areas of southern Iran and on Qeshm Island, the Fars News Agency reported.

Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Greater Tehran, said Iran has "passed the stage of defensive and air defense confrontation".

"Today we stand on the threshold of offensive operations, a turning point whose effects the enemies will soon understand," he said.

Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said in a social media post that US warmongering had been "the best accelerator for the transfer of the weight of power and economic geography to the East".

Pretending to have achieved victory is a sign of defeat and acceptance of the multipolarity of international power and security, he said.

Despite escalating tensions, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Tehran is ready for dialogue with nations in the region to "foster mutual trust, achieve sustainable security and promote economic progress".

Security in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman must be ensured through cooperation among littoral states and without the interference of foreign powers, the ministry said.

Nuclear issue

Meanwhile, for the first time in 20 years, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency approved on Wednesday a resolution reporting Iran to the UN Security Council for breaching its nonproliferation obligations.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the move.

"They attack Iran's nuclear facilities under safeguards, disrupt the normal verification process, and then use that very disruption as a pretext to issue a resolution in the Board of Governors," Gharibabadi said on X.

"With these fabrications, you can neither compensate for the failure of your policies and actions nor achieve anything in the Security Council," he said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei slammed the decision as contradictory and baseless, saying it is "completely irrelevant" because Iran has remained compliant.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com