The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called on countries to accelerate their transition away from fossil fuels and invest in homegrown renewable energy, warning that decades of dependence on oil have left countries perpetually exposed to the volatility of global energy markets.

Guterres made the remarks via his verified account on X, formerly Twitter, as turmoil triggered by the ongoing United States-Israeli military campaign against Iran continued to send shockwaves through international oil markets and disrupt critical shipping routes.

The UN chief observed that past oil shocks left countries with little room to manoeuvre, forcing governments and economies to absorb the brunt of price surges without recourse. That constraint, he argued, no longer holds.

Homegrown renewable energy, he said, has reached a point where it is more affordable, accessible and scalable than at any previous moment in history.

“The resources of the clean energy era cannot be blockaded or weaponised,” Guterres said, drawing a pointed contrast with oil, whose supply chains run through contested geopolitical corridors.

“There are no price spikes for sunlight and no embargoes on the wind,” he added.

He described the acceleration of a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy as the clearest and fastest route to energy security as well as to economic and national security more broadly.

The statement comes against a backdrop of acute disruption in global energy supply. The Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most strategically significant oil export corridor, linking major Gulf producers to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, has been effectively shut down following the intensification of hostilities in the region.

Tankers have been unable to navigate the strait for more than a week and producers have been compelled to curtail output as onshore storage facilities reach capacity.