Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United Nations (video statements)

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Member States to support the emergency evacuation framework prepared by the International Maritime Organization (IOM) to securely evacuate ships and seafarers from the conflict zone.

Addressing the Security Council about ‘Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain’, Guterres said, “Safe, unimpeded passage is an economic and humanitarian imperative. The economic shock has been immediate – and everyone is paying the price.”

He highlighted, “Behind the cargo figures and the price surges are people. More than 20,000 seafarers remain stranded at sea. Over 2,000 commercial vessels are caught in a web of risks and restrictions to navigation. These men and women are not parties to any conflict. They are civilian workers keeping the world supplied. Their safety, their well-being, and their rights must be protected – at all times, and in all waters.”

He urged Member States to support the emergency evacuation framework prepared by the International Maritime Organization, “A coordinated plan to ensure the safe movement, assistance, and protection of affected crews in full accordance with international law.”

He continued, “The Charter’s prohibition of the threat or use of force applies fully at sea. Navigational rights and freedoms through the Strait of Hormuz must be respected – as affirmed by this Council’s Resolution 2817. These principles must be upheld – in full, and without delay. I appeal to the parties: Open the Strait. Let ships pass. No tolls. No discrimination. Let trade resume. Let the global economy breathe.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGmutOrSmN4

Source: United Nations (video statements)

The President of the NPT Review Conference, Viet Nam’s Ambassador Do Hung Viet, told journalists in New York that the danger of a nuclear war is “seen and is felt, I think, much more concretely these days” and said that without an outcome document from the Conference "I would not say it would be a success.”

As the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) got underway, Do said it is convening “at a particularly challenging time,” and “the most challenging time for the NPT regime itself.”

Asked about Iran’s election as a conference’s vice-presidency, he said the nomination had been made “a few months ago, but the concern about Iran’s candidacy on emerged about a week ago,” and noted that it is “the right of any state party and the right of any group to nominate their candidates.”

The Ambassador said, “what we have managed to do is to get the agreement of all the states parties that instead of asking for a vote, they would instead disassociate themselves from the decision made at the conference. So, again, this is an issue that only came out about a week ago. So, it is not reflective of the consultations that I have had over the past eight months.”

Asked about Israel status as a non-member of the NPT, he said “there are continuous” calls for Israel, India, and Pakistan “to join the NPT as non-nuclear weapon states.”

Responding to a question on what would constitute a success, Do said, “if the conference is conducted smoothly, in an inclusive manner, where everyone is heard, everyone’s view can be reflected. I think that is also, it can be characterized as a good conference. But again, I would not say it would be a success.”

The Ambassador said, “nuclear rhetoric and arms race, nuclear arms race, is really looming. The threat to use nuclear weapons have been floating up there. The modernization and expansion of nuclear arsenals and the violation of international law, the level of mistrust amongst major powers and regional countries. So, the stakes are very, very high, actually.”

The 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is being held from 27 April to 22 May 2026 at United Nations Headquarters in New York

The NPT, in force since 1970 and extended indefinitely in 1995, is considered the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arRTd5olwoU

Source: United Nations (video statements)

"Have we forgotten that a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought?" United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference opened.

Opening the NPT Review Conference at UN Headquarters in New York today (27 April 2026), Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Global military spending soared to 2.7 trillion dollars last year, thirteen times more than all development aid globally, and equivalent to the entire Gross Domestic Product of Africa. For the first time in decades, the number of nuclear warheads is on the rise. Nuclear testing is back on the table. Some governments are openly mulling the acquisition of these horrific weapons. Have we forgotten that a nuclear war cannot be won and must not be fought? Have we forgotten that nuclear weapons make no one safer? Have we forgotten that the only reason the world did not tumble into the abyss was because leaders stood together and said: enough?”

Guterres added, “As you begin your deliberations today, I urge you to focus on two key points. First, countries must keep their promises under the Treaty. Without caveats. Without conditions. Without delays. Without excuses. It is time to re-commit to disarmament and non-proliferation as the only true path to peace."

He concluded: "The Treaty is not a relic of a former age, frozen in amber. It must grapple with the nexus between nuclear weapons and new technologies. It must ensure that, until nuclear weapons are eliminated, humanity never cedes control over their use. And it must help expand access to the benefits of nuclear science and technology for sustainable development.”

Vietnam’s Permanent Representative Đỗ Hùng Việt, who presides over the conference, said, “For more than half a century, the NPT has played a vital role in curbing the spread of nuclear weapons, advancing nuclear disarmament and promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. As a crucial part of the NPT regime review conferences have served as our points of reference on both where we stand and where we must go. They have guided our collective path toward the aspiration of a world free of nuclear weapons.”

Việt added, “This is not just another review conference. The success or failure of this conference will have implications way beyond these halls and way beyond these next five years. The prospects of a new nuclear arms race are looming over us, the scale of which we are yet to fathom. The prospects of a world without an effective functioning NPT regime would, in all likelihood, be one where regional rivalries increasingly have nuclear dimensions, where the taboo against nuclear use erodes further, and where collective security is diminished by the potential spread of nuclear weapons.”

The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, UAE, and Australia all objected to Iran serving position as Vice-President of the General Committee, though none called for a vote, citing a desire not to disrupt the conference’s work. Iran retained the position.

The United States representative said, “Indeed, it is an affront to the NPT itself that a country that has so blatantly disregarded its obligations under the treaty should take a place of honor and responsibility as a Vice President on the General Committee that should help coordinate our work over the next four weeks. Our commission is to strengthen the treaty and affirm its commitments. But choosing to open this review conference by conferring leadership on a country that is notoriously violating the very treaty it has pledged to uphold, is an affront to countries that treat the NPT commitments seriously.”

Iran’s representative said, “It is a matter of regret that at the beginning of the conference, we witnessed some political statements. Rather than being ready to engage in a substantive discussion on issues very important to all humanity’s especially nuclear disarmament. My delegation rejects categorically and in the strongest possible term, the statement just delivered by the United States. The allegation put forward are baseless and politically motivated, devoid of any credibility. They constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead this conference and to manipulate its procedure for narrow and self-serving purposes.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj81XrolSdk

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said that the “responsibility for any disruption to maritime transport lies with the aggressors: the United States and its supporters. Any claim to the contrary is unfounded.”

Addressing the press after the Security Council meeting on about ‘Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain,’ Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said “In constraint, Iran’s measures in the state of Hormuz was grounded in Iran’s right and obligation under the law of the sea and its national laws and regulations. Iran’s lawful measures aim to strike an appropriate balance between security interests of the coastal state and the continuous safe conduct of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in a high volatile environment.”

He added, “These practical measures will be carefully examined in light of evolving circumstances. Iran is not a party to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Accordingly, it is not bound by its treaty-based provisions, except to the extent that specific rules reflected therein are universally recognized as customary international law.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljA6EMjkq70

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said that the “responsibility for any disruption to maritime transport lies with the aggressors: the United States and its supporters. Any claim to the contrary is unfounded.”

Addressing the press after the Security Council meeting on about ‘Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain,’ Amir Saeid Iravani, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said “In constraint, Iran’s measures in the state of Hormuz was grounded in Iran’s right and obligation under the law of the sea and its national laws and regulations. Iran’s lawful measures aim to strike an appropriate balance between security interests of the coastal state and the continuous safe conduct of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in a high volatile environment.”

He added, “These practical measures will be carefully examined in light of evolving circumstances. Iran is not a party to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Accordingly, it is not bound by its treaty-based provisions, except to the extent that specific rules reflected therein are universally recognized as customary international law.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljA6EMjkq70