Trending 
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the United States and Iran on Sunday to halt their latest outbreak of fighting and immediately resume peace talks.
Guterres specifically condemned the recent U.S. airstrikes against Iran, as well as Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and American allies across the Gulf region.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric issued a formal statement on behalf of the Secretary-General, declaring that these aggressive military actions must stop to prevent further regional escalation.
The UN chief’s urgent appeal follows months of volatile conflict that has repeatedly threatened to drag both nuclear-focused adversaries into an all-out war.
The UN’s diplomatic intervention comes after months of destructive, highly volatile warfare between Washington and Tehran.
The current conflict erupted on February 28, 2026, when a massive joint US-Israeli aerial campaign killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, plunging the Middle East into chaos.
Although the subsequent Islamabad Memorandum signed in June briefly established a 60-day ceasefire to negotiate a permanent truce, the diplomatic breakthrough completely collapsed this month over control of the world’s most critical maritime oil corridor.
Tehran continuously demands absolute jurisdiction and navigation fees from commercial ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint responsible for one-fifth of global petroleum transit.
Iran provoked devastating American counterattacks by attacking noncompliant vessels along the Omani coast with drones and missiles, putting the entire region on the verge of uncontrollable international conflict.
