As the West Asia conflict continues to escalate, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday issued a stark warning about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, saying that with each passing
day, the scale of suffering and devastation is worsening.
Highlighting the rise in “indiscriminate attacks” and the growing risks to global stability, the UN chief stressed that the consequences of the conflict, involving the United States, Israel and Iran, were being felt far beyond the region.
“Every day the war in the Middle East continues, human suffering & devastation grow, indiscriminate attacks grow & the perils to our world grow. The conflict is being felt everywhere,” Guterres posted on X.
Iran-US-Israel War LIVE Updates
Every day the war in the Middle East continues, human suffering & devastation grow, indiscriminate attacks grow & the perils to our world grow.
The conflict is being felt everywhere.
We must find a peaceful way out.
The spiral of death & destruction must stop now. pic.twitter.com/rqAnWYgiII
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 2, 2026
Guterres Urges US, Israel, Iran To Halt Escalation Immediately
Calling for urgent action, he urged all parties to pursue a peaceful resolution, emphasising that the relentless “spiral of death and destruction” must come to an immediate halt.
“We must find a peaceful way out. The spiral of death & destruction must stop now,” he further wrote.
Speaking to reporters in New York earlier, Guterres warned that the world is “on the edge of a wider war” that could “engulf the Middle East” with “dramatic impacts around the globe.”
‘Strait Of Hormuz Strangled”: UN Chief On Iran War
He underlined serious “international consequences,” particularly the “disruption to maritime routes,” adding that “rising energy and food prices” are already impacting people from the “Philippines…to Sri Lanka…to Mozambique.” Referring to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, he said, “When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe.”
My message is clear:
To the USA & Israel:
It is high time to stop the war that is inflicting immense human suffering & triggering devastating economic consequences.
To Iran:
Stop attacking your neighbours.
Conflicts end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction.
That… pic.twitter.com/AHuS2YQG7H— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 2, 2026
The warning comes amid a “rapidly deteriorating situation,” with US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran targeting “neighbouring Gulf States” and threatening ships in the “crucial Strait of Hormuz.” Urging restraint, Guterres said disputes must be resolved “peacefully” and under “international law and the UN Charter.”
“My message is clear: to the United States and Israel, it is high time to stop the war… To Iran, to stop attacking their neighbours,” he said, announcing envoy Jean Arnault’s deployment to support peace efforts.
