TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed the regional developments, especially the ongoing crisis in war-torn Yemen.

During a telephone conversation with Zarif late on Sunday, the UN chief elaborated on the measures taken by the UN to hold the ceasefire in Yemen.

Last week, Guterres renewed his call for a global ceasefire, urging all parties in conflict to lay down arms and allow war-torn nations to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Zarif, for his part, expressed Iran’s support for addressing the Persian Gulf states' issues through talks, stressing that Yemen’s crisis does not have a military solution.

He added that a consistent ceasefire can be a good start for the political resolution of the ongoing situation in the country.

The Iranian foreign minister also delivered a report on the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic efforts in line with solving the political crisis in Afghanistan and briefed Guterres on his talks with the top Afghani officials, including Afghani President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, and Afghanistan's National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar.

This was the second phone conversation between Zarif and Guterres in the past 24 hours.

In a talk on Saturday, Zarif discussed the unilateral and unlawful US sanctions against the Islamic Republic with Guterres, and the effects of Washington’s hawkish policies against Tehran, which have hampered Iran’s efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.