UN Chief Welcomes Iran's Move To Keep Strait Of Hormuz Open During Ceasefire

WASHINGTON, April 18 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed Iran’s announcement that the Strait of Hormuz will remain "completely open" for all commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

"This is a step in the right direction," the UN chief said in a statement.

"The UN position remains clear: we need the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz, respected by everyone," Guterres said.

Guterres also expressed hope that the decision, combined with the ceasefire, would help build confidence between the parties and strengthen ongoing diplomatic efforts facilitated by Pakistan.

His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters that Guterres remains "fully supportive" of diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful path forward out of the current conflict in West Asia.

Guterres' remarks came after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday declared the Strait of Hormuz "completely open" for all commercial vessels, linking it to the ceasefire in Lebanon.

The decision was made "in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon," Araghchi said in a statement on the US social media platform X.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Trump said Friday that the waterway is now "completely open."

He added that a US naval blockade targeting Iran will remain in place, applying only to Iranian ports until transactions with Tehran are "100% complete."

Trump said that Washington is actively preventing Israel from carrying out additional attacks on Lebanon as a nascent ceasefire takes hold.

Dujarric said 1.2 million people in Lebanon were displaced during the escalation.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said that, following the announcement of the ceasefire, some displaced families are starting to return to Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, including parts of the Nabatieh Governorate and the district of Tyre.

"As of 5 pm in Lebanon today, 113,000 people were in collective shelters; this is down from 141,000 yesterday," he said.

The UN's partners continue to support the humanitarian response in close coordination with Lebanese authorities at the local and national levels, Dujarric said.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 has reached 2,294, with 7,544 injured, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said Friday.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU