DILI, 27 April 2026 (TATOLI) — Timor-Leste joined the Security Council stakeout on maritime security led by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.
The joint statement supports Resolution 2817, condemning Iran’s attacks and its closure of the Strait of Hormuz as threats to international security and freedom of navigation.
It emphasized that safe, open passage through the strait is essential for global stability and prosperity, rejects any unlawful restrictions such as tolls under international law, and called for its immediate reopening.
The statement also highlighted the broader global impact of the disruptions on shipping, energy markets, and vulnerable economies, while reaffirming support for international maritime organizations and efforts to restore normal shipping operations.
On Monday, during a Security Council open discussion on the safety and protection of waterways in the maritime domain, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The high-level discussion session at the United Nations Security Council in New York on maritime security, under the title “Safety and Security of Waterways in the Maritime Domain,” within the agenda item “Maintaining International Peace and Security,” highlighted collective efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Guterres urged the Member States to support the emergency evacuation framework prepared by the International Maritime Organization to securely evacuate ships and seafarers from the conflict zone.
He said that safe, unimpeded passage is an economic and humanitarian imperative. “The economic shock has been immediate – and everyone is paying the price.”
“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 said.
Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that any disruption to shipping represents a global interference to energy and food security. “The principle of freedom of navigation is not negotiable. Ships must be allowed to trade worldwide unhindered and in accordance with international law,” he added.
Zayani also said that navigational rights and freedoms must not be unlawfully threatened or suspended.
“We reiterate our call for the urgent and unimpeded opening of the Strait. We reject any effort to unlawfully threaten or suspend navigational rights and freedoms, including through the imposition of tolls,” he added.
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