UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the globe stands "on the edge of a wider war" that could engulf the Middle East with dramatic consequences worldwide.
"We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.
Addressing key parties directly, Guterres urged the United States and Israel to halt hostilities.
"It is high time to stop the war that is inflicting immense human suffering and already triggering devastating economic consequences," he said.
He also called on Iran to cease attacks on its neighbours, stressing that "conflicts do not end on their own" but only "when leaders choose dialogue over destruction."
Guterres stressed the global economic stakes, warning that the current disruption to the Strait of Hormuz is choking the flow of critical commodities.
"When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world's poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe," he said.
