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The United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the ongoing war between the United States and Iran could spiral out of control.
Guterres also urged Iran to halt its attacks on member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which are US allies, saying the GCC countries play no direct role in the war embroiling the Middle East.
“Stop attacking your neighbours; they were never parties to the conflict. The Security Council has condemned these attacks,” said Guterres.
The ongoing Iran war, which is now in its third week, has resulted in thousands of deaths and a spike in the cost of refined petroleum products across the world since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.N. Secretary-General noted that the ongoing conflict is leading to more civilian suffering worldwide, particularly in underdeveloped and developing countries, where the consequences of rising energy prices and supply chain bottlenecks could be “tragic consequences”.
“The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz causes enormous pain in so many people around the world who have nothing to do with this conflict,” the U.N. Secretary-General added.
Israel and Iran have launched attacks on natural gas fields in the Gulf region. Analysts warn that this could cause a food insecurity crisis, as natural gas is also needed to produce ammonia, which is used to produce fertilisers to support crop production.
He also urged the conflicting parties to lay down their arms and return to the negotiating table.
“It’s time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of force. It’s time for diplomacy to prevail over war,” he added.
The U.N. Security Council had passed a resolution calling for Iran to immediately halt its attacks on Gulf states, saying they breach international law and pose a “serious threat to international peace and security”.
China and Russia, two of Iran’s close allies, however, abstained from the vote.
