The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has called on Monday for the United States and Iran to return to the negotiating table to finalize an agreement "as soon as possible" after the expiration of the 60-day memorandum of understanding, which contemplated a truce, with the aim of achieving a definitive end to hostilities and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Guterres has insisted that "there is no military solution to this conflict," urging all parties involved to reach a "peaceful" and "lasting" understanding that avoids any eventual "military action" in the area, in addition to calling for "lowering the tone of the rhetoric" used in recent days.
According to his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the 14-point memorandum of understanding that has just expired provided for a 60-day truce to negotiate a definitive pact, focused on the Iranian nuclear issue, the toll-free reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the establishment of a reconstruction fund for Iran endowed with 300 billion dollars.
This understanding, sponsored by Pakistan as a mediator, also included the lifting of U.S. sanctions, both those applied under the framework of the United Nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and all direct or secondary sanctions imposed by Washington.
The U.S. President, Donald Trump, stated this same Monday that Iran must "raise the white flag" and "surrender" to the situation resulting from the war that began last February, and has even threatened to bomb Oman if it intervenes in the management of the Strait of Hormuz, at a time when Muscat is holding talks with Tehran about transit through this strategic passage.