Agreement cannot be reached overnight, negotiations should continue: UN chief on West Asia war

The United States and Iran, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, held 21 hours of talks in Pakistan on Saturday but failed to reach a deal to end the war.

A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement on Monday saying, “While the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran did not reach any agreement at the Islamabad talks hosted by Pakistan, the discussions themselves underlined the seriousness of the parties’ engagement and constituted a positive and meaningful step towards relaunching the dialogue.”

“They chose not to accept our conditions,” Vance told a news conference in Islamabad. “We leave here with a very simple proposal: a way of understanding, which is our final and best proposal,” he said, adding, “We will see whether the Iranians accept it.”

Guterres said that given the deep-rooted differences, “an agreement cannot be reached overnight” and called for continued constructive negotiations to reach an agreement.

“At the same time, the ceasefire must be absolutely maintained. All violations must cease,” Guterres said, adding that after weeks of destruction and suffering, it was clear that there was no military solution to the current conflict in the Middle East.

Last week, the United States and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire.

Guterres thanked the mediators – Pakistan, which hosted the talks on Saturday, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye – for their continued efforts and called on the international community to support those efforts.

The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Jean Arnault also remains actively engaged in the region, consulting closely with key stakeholders and continuing outreach in support of a comprehensive and lasting agreement.

Guterres also stressed that all parties to the conflict must respect freedom of navigation, including in the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with international law.

The UN chief said: “We need to remember that some 20,000 seafarers are caught up in this conflict and are currently trapped on board ships, facing increasing difficulties every day. The disruption to maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz has had a direct impact on the surrounding region, leading to increased global economic vulnerability and insecurity in many areas.”

He noted that disruptions to fertilizers and their inputs have further exacerbated food insecurity for millions of vulnerable people around the world, leading to higher costs of living due to the impact of fuel, transport and supply chain disruptions.

This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.