“To the United States (US) and Israel, it is high time to end this war that is risking getting completely out of control, causing immense suffering to civilians and disrupting the global economy with potentially tragic consequences, especially for the least developed countries,” he said.

Addressing Iran directly, he urged: “Stop attacking your neighbours; they were never parties to the conflict.”

Guterres also raised alarm over the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping corridors, where disruptions are already affecting global supply chains. The Security Council has condemned attacks on the waterway and urged that it remain open.

“It is time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of force. It is time for diplomacy to prevail over war,” Guterres said.

Ongoing strikes across the Middle East, sparked by US and Israeli bombing of Iran and subsequent counterstrikes by Tehran, continue to drive soaring humanitarian needs, mass displacement and mounting regional instability. The crisis is also amplifying concerns over maritime security, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, attacks on healthcare and the protection of critical infrastructure, including nuclear facilities.

Lebanon remains one of the hardest hit countries, with more than one million people now displaced as Israeli airstrikes and evacuation orders expand across the south, Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas of Mount Lebanon. Services are severely overstretched, shelters are overcrowded, and protection risks, particularly for women, children and persons with disabilities, are intensifying.

–UN/ChannelAfrica–