HAMILTON, Canada
The UN on Monday reiterated its call for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz amid reports that Washington plans to impose a 20% fee on ships passing through the waterway.
Asked whether UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accepts the premise that any member state can impose a fee on cargo passing through the strait, Stephane Dujarric told a news conference “the secretary-general’s position has been consistent … he wants to see freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The remarks came as US and Iran exchanged renewed strikes over the weekend, and US President Donald Trump said the US was “reinstating” a blockade on Iran, and that it will charge ships for safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
Dujarric also confirmed that the officer-in-charge of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jean Arnault, met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on his first visit to Iran.
Arnault outlined UN efforts for the implementation of Resolution 1701 and his understanding of the challenges ahead, and sought Iran’s views on the situation and the support regional countries can provide to Lebanese aspirations to peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to Dujarric.
