UNITED NATIONS, United States, April 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed Iran's agreement to stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz and urged full freedom for shipping through the crucial waterway.

"The secretary-general considers this a step in the right direction. The United Nations' position remains clear: we need the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz to be respected by all parties," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.