António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, on Wednesday, 25 Shahrivar, at a press conference in New York, ahead of the start of the United Nations General Assembly, said that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and the surrounding waters must be fully maintained in accordance with international law and that all parties should respect it.

He also condemned the Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the creation of obstacles to free navigation in Bab el-Mandeb, saying UN special envoys are making extensive efforts to address these tensions.

Regarding the Houthis’ advance toward Bab el-Mandeb, the UN Secretary-General said that maintaining freedom of navigation in the region must be guaranteed “at any cost.”

Referring to the continuation of military operations, he said the experience of the war in Yemen has shown that reaching a military solution to this crisis is very difficult, and added: “Military action is underway, but it will not solve the problem by itself.”

Guterres emphasized the need to begin serious negotiations and urged the parties to enter talks in order to end the escalation of fighting in the Middle East.