Guterres warns of ‘wider war’ as Middle East conflict enters second month

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.”

Security Council: Gulf States decry Iranian attacks

The Middle East stands “at a dangerous precipice,” Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council, which met on Thursday morning to discuss boosting cooperation between the UN and Arab States in the Gulf.

He condemned the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran and cited the demand – outlined in last month’s Council resolution 2817 (2026) – for an immediate end to all attacks by Tehran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Albudaiwi, told ambassadors Iran had targeted vital civilian infrastructure, including airports, oil facilities, residential and commercial areas, fuel depots, service facilities and diplomatic missions.

“The GCC strongly condemns these blatant Iranian attacks, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of GCC States”, as well as the principle of good-neighbourly relations, international law and the UN Charter, he stressed.

“GCC States do not seek war,” he insisted.  “They seek the peace, security and stability that all peoples deserve.”

Follow speaker-by-speaker coverage in-depth on our Meetings Coverage website here. 

Syria needs in spotlight

Needs meanwhile in Syria, remain immense, particularly after the return of some 180,000 nationals since the Middle East war erupted, along with 25,000 Lebanese.

Highlighting needs in Damascus and beyond, the UN’s top aid official, Tom Fletcher, said that both Lebanese and Syrian families have been fleeing “with virtually nothing”.

He also insisted that Syrians “are rebuilding…reopening markets, restoring services”.

Mr. Fletcher said that the UN’s humanitarian teams were on hand and constantly adapting to help the many people whose lives had been uprooted by the violence.

Ahead of Syria, Mr. Fletcher spent two days witnessing the devastating impacts of the conflict in Lebanon, where more than one million people have been displaced in a matter of weeks, amid ongoing Israeli and Hezbollah clashes, leaving “lives upended” and critical infrastructure “shattered”.