A UN official warned that growing tensions and attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab threaten international peace and security, regional stability and the global economy, Anadolu reports.
Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, told the UN Security Council virtually that maritime incidents had continued to increase, with commercial vessels facing different forms of attacks and numerous ships and their crews stranded inside the Gulf for months.
“Civilian vessels and commercial shipping must not become targets,” he said, reiterating warnings by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the risks posed by continued tensions in the strategically important waterways.
