UAE welcomes US-Iran MOU, urges full implementation

A container ship was approached by a small skiff about 14 nautical miles south of Yemen’s coast on Monday, UK Maritime Trade Operations said.

The crew of the skiff opened fire on the vessel and attempted to board it, UKMTO said in an advisory.

Authorities were investigating the incident, and vessels were advised to transit with caution and report suspicious activity.

The Gulf Cooperation Council welcomed on Monday the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, saying it hoped the step would lead to a permanent agreement on outstanding issues.

GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said such an agreement should support regional understandings that ensure security and stability in the Middle East and beyond.

He praised mediation efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as regional and international support for the process.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk welcomed on Monday the announcement that the United States and Iran had agreed on an MOU, urging all sides to exercise maximum restraint and work to implement it.

Turk said he hoped the agreement would bring relief to Lebanese people, and called for an immediate end to hostilities in Lebanon and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

“I welcome the announcement that the United States and Iran have agreed on a peace deal that provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a framework for further negotiations,” he said. “At this fragile moment it is clear all sides need to exercise maximum restraint and work to implement the agreement reached quickly and in good faith."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed on Monday the agreement between the United States and Iran, calling it a major step toward ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“I congratulate President Trump and the mediators from Pakistan, Qatar and elsewhere who have contributed to this breakthrough,” he said in a statement.

Starmer said the memorandum of understanding should be fully implemented to keep the strait “fully and permanently open” while the details of the nuclear agreement are finalized.

He said toll-free freedom of navigation must be restored in the Strait of Hormuz to ease economic pressure felt for months in Britain and around the world.

Starmer said any lasting peace would require commitments on Iran’s nuclear program to be robust, verifiable and fully implemented, adding that Britain’s position remained that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.

Starmer told a press conference later that, "Obviously, nothing is guaranteed, but it is, I think, a significant breakthrough, a very significant breakthrough. Hopefully, something which as we work together we can turn into that enduring peace that we all want to see.”

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Monday the agreement between the United States and Iran to end military operations and begin detailed negotiations over 60 days toward a permanent agreement.

The Saudi foreign ministry also praised mediation efforts by Pakistan and Qatar.