UNITED NATIONS, April 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

"Navigational rights and freedoms through the Strait of Hormuz must be respected ... These principles must be upheld in full, and without delay," he said at a Security Council open debate on the safety and protection of waterways in the maritime domain.

"I appeal to the parties: open the strait, let ships pass, no tolls, no discrimination, let trade resume, let the global economy breathe," said Guterres. ■