UN chief Ban: Tone down rhetoric in Iran dispute

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday appealed to all sides in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program to reduce tensions and urged Tehran not to follow through on threats to close a key shipping lane.

As Western states tighten sanctions on Iran and its enemies wage an apparent covert war against an Iranian nuclear program that the West suspects is intended to produce weapons, Tehran has warned several times it may seal off the Strait of Hormuz, choking the supply of Gulf oil and gas. (Reuters)