The Middle East crisis has lurched into its second month, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to issue a stark warning on Thursday morning that the world is "on the edge of a wider war" with catastrophic global implications.
Speaking to the press outside the Security Council in New York, the UN chief painted a grim picture of the rapidly deteriorating situation, as Israel and the US continue to bomb Iran while Tehran carries out attacks on neighbouring Gulf States and threatens ships it deems hostile against using the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
"Every day this war continues, human suffering grows. The scale of devastation grows. Indiscriminate attacks grow," Mr. Guterres stated, noting that the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as general perils to the world economy - especially the most vulnerable societies which depend on energy imports - are mounting daily.
Danger of a world at war
He emphasised that the impacts of the crisis are no longer contained within the region, pointing specifically to the severe disruptions surrounding freedom of navigation.
"When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world's poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe," he warned.
He noted that the consequences are already visible "in the daily lives of people struggling with rising food and energy costs from the Philippines…to Sri Lanka…to Mozambique."
Shuttle diplomacy
To curb this escalating trajectory, the Secretary-General announced he is dispatching his Personal Envoy, Jean Arnault , to the region to assist in ongoing peace initiatives.
"The spiral of death and destruction must stop," he implored, urging that diplomatic efforts be given the space and support to succeed.
Mr. Guterres stressed that any resolution must be anchored firmly in international law and the UN Charter .
He called for disputes to be settled peacefully, for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all Member States to be respected, and for the protection of civilians and nuclear installations under threat in Iran and elsewhere as the war metastasizes.
Message to the US, Israel and Iran
Directly addressing the combatants, the Secretary-General declared: "To the United States and Israel, it is high time to stop the war that is inflicting immense human suffering and already triggering devastating economic consequences."
Iran, he continued, must stop attacking its neighbours.
Reiterating that the Security Council has already condemned these attacks and reaffirmed the need to respect navigational rights in critical maritime routes, the UN chief reminded world leaders that the power to end the crisis lies in their hands.
"Conflicts do not end on their own," Mr Guterres concluded. "They end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction. That choice still exists. And it must be made - now."
More to come…
