UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council that strikes and counterstrikes between the US and Iran could have “devastating consequences in the region and across the globe” if tensions are not reversed. “The situation is getting out of control. It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable,” Guterres said.
Guterres said escalating confrontation was obscuring political objectives and called for restraint. “One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next. As this dynamic spreads, the political objectives are becoming increasingly obscured by the confrontation itself. It is time to step back,” Guterres said.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said “very few ships, if any” are moving through the Strait of Hormuz after renewed attacks on vessels on July 12-13.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez expressed concern for about 6 000 seafarers trapped on nearly 500 ships in the Persian Gulf. “We need to remember that these are innocent people who are trained to do the work, that they are not trained for combat,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez said seafarers remain essential to global trade. “Without them, shipping will not operate,” Dominguez said.
The crisis has widened to the Red Sea, where Houthi forces have escalated attacks near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Dominguez condemned the latest attacks as “indefensible”, warning that they endanger seafarers, shipping security, the marine environment and global supply chains.
The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about 20% of global oil and gas supplies. Dominguez said shipping should not resume through the waterway until safety guarantees are secured. “Very little progress has been made in any future management of the strait, because the reality is that we need de-escalation in order to continue negotiations,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez said evacuation of trapped seafarers remains the first priority, followed by guarantees that the area is demined and safe for transit.
The IMO also reiterated that international law does not allow countries to charge tolls for merchant ships using the Strait. “There’s no imposition of charges. It’s not a mechanism that introduces any charges or fees,” Dominguez said.
Independent UN human rights experts separately condemned the resumption of hostilities, citing reports of strikes on civilian infrastructure in Iran, including ports, railway lines, a desalination plant, Semnan Airport, a wheat silo, a bottled water factory and areas near a children’s cancer hospital.
Iranian authorities say 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured since fighting resumed.
UN Trade and Development said higher energy prices linked to the conflict helped push global goods trade to $13.7 trillion in the first half of 2026, up 12.5% from the same period in 2025. Services trade rose 10.5%, adding about $2 trillion to global commerce.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
