<\/p>\n
UN Spokesperson St\u00e9phane Dujarric told journalists in New York that the organisation is aware of announcements suggesting progress toward a deal but is withholding formal comment given the sensitivity of the situation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve seen that announcement. We saw also the announcements from the President of the United States yesterday,\u201d Dujarric said. \u201cGiven the sensitivity of the situation and the fact we’ve been close before, we will hold off on any comment, but we are encouraged by the general tone of what we’re hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The reports follow statements by Pakistan\u2019s Prime Minister indicating that both sides had agreed on a final text for a peace deal after more than 100 days of conflict. Pakistan has been acting as a mediator in the crisis, which began in late February after US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites prompted retaliatory attacks by Tehran.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The conflict has had significant regional and global repercussions, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route that handles roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil trade, as well as large volumes of liquefied natural gas and fertilisers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Disruptions in the strait have affected global supply chains and raised concerns about wider economic fallout. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that continued instability could trigger a global food price crisis within six to 12 months.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The fighting has also created dangerous conditions for commercial shipping. According to UN figures, 14 seafarers have been killed since the escalation began, including three deaths reported earlier this week, while thousands remain stranded on vessels in the region.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has repeatedly called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. In March, Guterres appointed French diplomat Jean Arnault as his Personal Envoy to engage with parties involved in the conflict.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The UN has also established a dedicated task force to help ensure the safe passage of humanitarian shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
\nWhile the possibility of a ceasefire has raised cautious optimism, UN officials say efforts must continue to secure a durable agreement and prevent further escalation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":37032,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-37030","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The United Nations (UN) on Friday said it is closely monitoring developments following conflicting reports of a possible ceasefire agreement between the United States (US) and Iran, as diplomatic efforts to end months of hostilities continue.","published_date":"","news_description":"The United Nations (UN) on Friday said it is closely monitoring developments following conflicting reports of a possible ceasefire agreement between the United States (US) and Iran, as diplomatic efforts to end months of hostilities continue.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37033,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37030\/revisions\/37033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=37030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}