UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday welcomed the US-Iran peace deal with its permanent ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a “critical step” toward resolving the war in the Middle East. “The Secretary-General hopes that the parties will build on this new momentum and redouble their efforts toward a final resolution of the conflict,” Guterres said in a statement attributed to his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

US and Iran are close to a peace deal memorandum, with Geneva likely as venue, as talks include ceasefire, sanctions relief and oil market impact.

The United Nations continues to monitor developments amid conflicting reports on Friday of a possible ceasefire deal between the United States and Iran, the Spokesperson for the…

By JAN YUMUL in Hong Kong, CUI HAIPEI in Dubai, UAE and Zhao Jia in Beijing |