UN warns that lawlessness in the Middle East threatens global shipping

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this week that the resumption of talks between Washington and Tehran was “highly probable”, as he urged that the ceasefire persist and warned that respect for international law was being trampled in the Middle East. 

Speaking at UN headquarters in New York, Guterres opened with a broader appeal for international law, saying justice was meant to be blind, but that too many were now “choosing to turn a blind eye to justice itself”. 

“Around the world, and starkly in the Middle East, respect for international law is being trampled,” he said. 

He said rules governing the use of force and the conduct of hostilities were being ignored, civilians were exposed to intolerable harm, humanitarian obligations were being disregarded, and “even the protections afforded to the United Nations and our personnel are violated”. 

“This wholesale assault on international law has consequences,” he said, adding that “lawlessness breeds chaos. Lawlessness fuels suffering. Lawlessness leads to destruction.” 

At the same time, Guterres said this was “not the moment to retreat from international law” but “the moment to reaffirm it”. 

He said that later this week he would travel to The Hague to mark the eightieth anniversary of the International Court of Justice, describing the ICJ as “the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and a pillar of the international legal order”. 

“For eight decades, the Court has fulfilled that role with distinction,” he said. 

Guterres said the visit was not simply about commemorating an anniversary, but about sending “an unmistakable message” that the United Nations stands behind the institutions and principles designed to protect peace, justice, sovereignty and human dignity. 

He added that international law applies to all states, without exception, and that respect for its rules is not optional. 

He also said that in a world moving towards greater fragmentation and sharper power competition, international law was indispensable, warning that without it, “instability spreads, mistrust deepens, and conflicts spiral out of control”. 

“This applies everywhere, and it applies urgently to the conflict in the Middle East,” he said. 

Turning to the region, Guterres said there was “no military solution to this crisis” and that peace agreements require persistent engagement and political will. 

“Serious negotiations must resume,” he said, and mentioning that “the ceasefire must be preserved, and extended as necessary.” 

He added that international navigational rights and freedoms, including in the Strait of Hormuz, “must be respected by all parties”. 

Asked about the prospect of renewed US-Iran talks, after President Donald Trump said they could resume within days, Guterres said that “the indication we have is that it is highly probable that these talks will restart.” 

He added that he considered it “essential that these negotiations go on”, saying it would be unrealistic to expect that “such a complex problem, long-lasting problem, could be resolved in the first session of a negotiation”. 

“So, we need negotiations to go on, and we need a ceasefire to persist as negotiations go on,” he said. 

On humanitarian aid, he said the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) had attributed $12 million to the UN country team to provide effective humanitarian assistance to people in dire need. 

Guterres also said he had spoken on Tuesday with Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, and expressed “enormous admiration” for what he described as Pakistan’s important initiative to help bring peace to the Middle East. 

Asked separately about direct talks in Washington between Lebanon and Israel, Guterres said nobody expected that one round of talks would solve all the problems, but added that they could help change the pattern of actions that had destabilised Lebanon. 

“Until now, the truth is that Hezbollah and Israel have always helped each other to destabilize the Government of Lebanon,” he said. 

He said Israel’s occupation of part of Lebanese territory gave Hezbollah the pretext to say it could not disarm, while Hezbollah rocket fire gave Israel the pretext for further military operations against Lebanon. 

At the same time, he said, the Lebanese government remained committed both to the country’s territorial integrity and to having the monopoly on the use of force, which implies the disarmament of Hezbollah. 

“So, it’s time for Israel and Lebanon to be working together, instead of Lebanon being the victim of this kind of negative, negative conjugation of the actions of the Hezbollah and Israel,” he concluded.