UN chief urges Iran and US to resume talks urgently as June 17 ceasefire collapses

The UN Secretary-General has urged Iran and the United States to resume negotiations urgently and settle their differences through diplomacy, after an escalation in fighting and a renewed halt to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Under a memorandum the two sides signed on 17 June, a 60-day ceasefire was to take effect: Iran would allow free passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US would lift oil sanctions and its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The US president announced on 8 July that the ceasefire was over.

Qatar and Pakistan are among the main mediators between the two sides, and Tehran has filed a formal complaint against Washington with the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General.