UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on Tuesday, called for an end to the United States-Iran war and the toll it has taken on global trade, as he began an official visit to Pakistan.

Mr Guterres made the call at a joint press conference with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan’s capital city, Islamabad.

He is in Pakistan on a two-day visit.

“From Islamabad, I want to send a loud and clear message to all parties: End the conflict. Return to diplomacy. Fully restore navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law,’’ he said.

The crisis began in late February following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

In response, Tehran launched retaliatory attacks on targets in Gulf countries and Jordan, and blocked transit through the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint.

The maritime corridor is critical for global trade in crude oil, fertilisers, and liquefied natural gas. Hundreds of ships and their crews have been stuck at sea for months.

Meanwhile, fighting has spread to Yemen’s Red Sea coast, where Iran-backed Houthi forces are battling Government troops, supported by Saudi Arabia, for control of the crucial Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The secretary-general saluted Pakistan for its leadership in helping to create the conditions for dialogue between the U.S. and Iran.

“Your efforts helped deliver the  June 17 Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the subsequent ceasefire, and the framework for further negotiations,” he said, adding that “every Pakistani should be proud of that pivotal role.”

Addressing wider issues, Mr Guterres said, “There will never be peace in the region until the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people is fully realised—as Pakistan has long championed.”

He expressed hope for regional peace and prosperity, “anchored in dialogue and cooperation.”

The secretary-general praised Pakistan for being “a source of solidarity and solutions.”

For decades, the country has sheltered millions of Afghans fleeing conflict and instability, and he underlined the UN’s commitment to work with Pakistan to ensure that returns are voluntary, safe, and dignified.

He recalled that Pakistan has been a member of the UN Security Council for the past two years.

“At a time of growing division and mistrust around the world, Pakistan values multilateralism, dialogue, mediation, and diplomacy,” he said.

Mr Guterres added that Pakistan is also among the world’s longstanding and largest contributors to UN peacekeeping. 

He paid tribute to the more than 180 Pakistani blue helmets who “gave their lives in the service of peace.”

Pakistan and Denmark also took the lead on UN Security Council resolution 2,823, which strengthens accountability for crimes against UN peacekeepers.

He noted that 153 countries co-sponsored the document, making it “the largest number of co-sponsors for a Security Council resolution in United Nations history.”

The secretary-general also acknowledged the “immense suffering” Pakistan has endured due to deadly terrorist attacks.

Mr Guterres concluded by addressing the climate crisis, recalling that his last visit to Pakistan came during the catastrophic floods in 2022.

“Pakistan is on the frontlines of climate chaos despite contributing only a tiny fraction of global emissions,” he said, but “it is also on the frontlines of the response.”

He pointed to the country’s leadership in establishing the Loss and Damage Fund and its growing need for a clean energy transition.

The UN chief used the occasion to reiterate the call for developed countries to take the lead in ensuring a “drastic reduction” in global emissions this decade. 

(NAN)