<\/p>\n
In a statement issued on Sunday, Guterres said the agreement includes an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a framework for further negotiations between the parties.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Guterres’ Spokesperson said the Secretary-General expressed \u201cdeep appreciation\u201d to regional and international actors who supported the talks, including Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and T\u00fcrkiye. The Secretary-General also called on both sides to build on the progress made.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He said he hopes the parties will \u201credouble their efforts\u201d to reach a comprehensive and lasting resolution, adding that the UN stands ready to support efforts toward a \u201cdurable and comprehensive peace\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The conflict began in late February following coordinated strikes by the US and Israel on military and nuclear facilities in Iran. Tehran subsequently launched retaliatory attacks targeting Israel and US\u2011allied states in the Gulf.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The escalation had significant global implications, including the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies are transported. The disruption raised concerns over energy markets, global trade and economic stability.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Although a ceasefire was agreed in April, sporadic clashes have continued, including recent exchanges of fire between the two sides.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In a separate statement earlier on Sunday, Guterres strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, warning that such actions risk undermining ongoing diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Guterres said the strikes occurred despite a ceasefire and at a time when negotiations between Washington and Tehran were expected to advance, potentially paving the way for broader regional stability.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He warned that the ongoing conflict is having a \u201cdevastating impact\u201d on the global economy and urged all parties to exercise \u201cmaximum restraint\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The situation in Lebanon remains linked to the wider regional conflict, which has drawn in multiple actors and heightened tensions across the Middle East.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
While the newly announced agreement marks a significant diplomatic development, UN officials say sustained engagement and commitment from all sides will be essential to ensure lasting peace.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":37151,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-37149","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"United Nations (US) Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has welcomed a newly announced peace agreement between the United States (US) and Iran, describing it as a \u201ccritical step\u201d toward ending months of conflict in the region.","published_date":"","news_description":"United Nations (US) Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has welcomed a newly announced peace agreement between the United States (US) and Iran, describing it as a \u201ccritical step\u201d toward ending months of conflict in the region.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37149","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\/37149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37152,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37149\/revisions\/37152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=37149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}