UN Reaffirms Freedom of Navigation in Strait of Hormuz Amid US Tariff Issue

The United Nations (UN) on Monday reaffirmed its call to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz amid reports that the United States will impose a 20 per cent fee on ships transiting the strategic waterway. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accepted the rationale that any member state can impose tariffs on cargo passing through the strait. At a press conference, UN Secretariat Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Guterres’s position is consistent. “He wants to see freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Dujarric said. The statement came amid the latest exchange of attacks between the US and Iran over the weekend. Dujarric also confirmed that the official leading the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jean Arnault, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during his first visit to Iran. In the meeting, Dujarric said, Arnault outlined the UN’s efforts in implementing Resolution 1701 as well as his views on the challenges ahead. Arnault also sought Iran’s views on the situation and the support that countries in the region can provide to realise Lebanon’s aspirations for peace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.