'Open the Strait,' UN Secretary General Guterres says on Hormuz

Amid ongoing peace talks and reduced transport flow through the Strait of Hormuz, the United Nations chief led a chorus of diplomats urging a fuller opening of the vital waterway.

"Open the strait. Let ships pass. No tolls. No discrimination. Let trade resume. Let the global economy breathe," said United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres during a Security Council session on Monday (April 27).

Oil prices did climb about 3% to a two-week high on Monday

U.S. President Donald Trump discussed a new Iranian proposal on resolving the war with Tehran with his top national security aides, with the conflict currently in a stalemate and energy supplies from the region reduced.

At least seven ships - mainly dry bulk vessels - have crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, in line with muted activity in recent days. That represents a fraction of the average 140 daily passages before the Iran war began on February 28, when around 20% of global oil supplies passed through the strait.

Guterres went on to explain why this is simply not sufficient for global needs.

"The economic shock has been immediate and everyone is paying the price. Acute volatility in energy and commodity markets, surging transport and insurance costs, and the worst supply chain disruption since Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. These pressures are cascading into empty fuel tanks, empty shelves and empty plates. The humanitarian toll is mounting. Delays and rising costs are slowing life-saving deliveries to people who cannot wait. And this crisis coincides with critical planting seasons. But a long disruption risks triggering a global food emergency, pushing millions, especially in African South Asia, into hunger and poverty," said Guterres.

-Dan Fastenberg/Reuters