UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed hope that the United States and Iran will return to an interim peace agreement brokered by Pakistan, according to his spokesperson on Friday. The remarks underscore the international community’s appreciation for Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the longtime adversaries.
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed in June following months of Pakistani mediation, aimed to suspend military operations and pave the way for a comprehensive settlement addressing Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and regional security. However, hostilities resumed shortly after the accord was reached, plunging the two sides into a protracted stalemate that has disrupted commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and roiled global energy markets.
Addressing reporters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric conveyed the Secretary-General’s strong support for Pakistan’s mediation. He noted that the initiative had previously yielded “a period of calm, a period where energy and food and other items were flowing more easily through the strait,” adding that a return to that framework remains a priority.
The MoU also envisioned a cessation of hostilities on other fronts, including Lebanon, and the full restoration of commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz—a critical artery for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. With the conflict deadlocked for nearly seven months, renewed diplomatic activity at the UN’s high-level week has injected a measure of cautious optimism.
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff. Araghchi subsequently outlined a concrete seven-day proposal, transmitted via Qatar, to reopen the strategic waterway and restore normal maritime transit, contingent on the fulfillment of specific conditions. “The choice now rests with the United States,” Araghchi stated, emphasizing that Tehran would not yield to coercion or relinquish its sovereign rights under pressure.
However, The Wall Street Journal reported hours later that President Donald Trump had rejected the Iranian proposal. Citing US officials, the report indicated the president remains skeptical of Tehran’s willingness to meet US demands and views a renewed bombing campaign as a likely scenario. Trump also posted a map on his Truth Social platform labeling the Strait of Hormuz as “Trump Strait.”
Pakistan, which spearheaded the diplomatic push alongside Qatar, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia to secure the June interim deal, maintains that dialogue remains the only sustainable path out of the crisis. Islamabad has consistently urged both parties to recommit to the framework established by the Islamabad agreement.
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