UN chief urges Hormuz reopening

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, saying that restoring safe, unimpeded passage through the waterway is "an economic and humanitarian imperative".

"Navigational rights and freedoms through the Strait of Hormuz must be respected," said Guterres in a post on X on Tuesday.

"I appeal to the parties: Open the Strait. Let ships pass. No tolls. No discrimination. Let trade resume. Let the global economy breathe," he added.

Guterres also voiced concern that "the number of nuclear warheads is on the rise" for the first time in decades.

"A nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought. It's time to re-commit to disarmament and non-proliferation as the only true path to peace," he said.

The UN chief's appeal came as Iran's new proposal to the United States to reopen the strait failed to produce any breakthrough.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the proposal with regional counterparts, but deferred talks with Washington on Tehran's nuclear program for later, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

According to US media reports and officials familiar with the matter, the proposal, conveyed through Pakistani mediators, sets aside discussions on Iran's nuclear program until the conflict with the US and Israel ends and the deadlock over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is resolved.

However, the latest proposal received a cool response from Washington.

US President Donald Trump discussed the proposal with his national security team on Monday, the White House confirmed.

Trump was unhappy with the proposal because it postpones the discussion on Iran's nuclear program, an issue Washington insists must be addressed at the outset, Reuters reported, citing a US official familiar with the matter.

Washington has repeatedly demanded that Tehran give up its stockpile of enriched uranium and suspend uranium enrichment as part of any broader settlement.

Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Monday and said that he was "pleased to engage with Russia at the highest level as the region is in major flux".

Araghchi said recent events "have evidenced the depth and strength of our strategic partnership" and that they are grateful for solidarity and welcome Russia's support for diplomacy.

During the UN Security Council meeting initiated by Bahrain, countries called for de-escalation and an end to blocking Iranian ports.

Discussing the "Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain" on Monday, International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the geopolitical conflict around the Strait of Hormuz "is having a very negative effect on seafarers and shipping, and on the global population and economy".

"Approximately 20,000 innocent seafarers and nearly 2,000 vessels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf. Any disruption to shipping represents a global interference to energy and food security," Dominguez said.

The first in-person meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council leaders since the recent US-Israel-Iran war kicked off in Saudi Arabia's port city of Jeddah on Tuesday, Saudi media Al Arabiya News reported.

Agencies contributed to this story.