UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning on Friday, urging all sides involved in the escalating Iran-Israel conflict to exercise restraint and prioritize diplomacy over confrontation. Speaking at a UN Security Council session, Guterres called on the international community—and specifically hinted at the United States, which is weighing military support for Israel—to prevent the crisis from spiraling further.
“To the parties to the conflict—and the potential parties to the conflict—and to the Security Council as the voice of the international community, my message is simple and direct: Give peace a chance,” Guterres said.
He painted a grim picture of the unfolding situation, warning that the world is not slowly drifting into a crisis but rather “racing toward it.”
“We are not witnessing isolated incidents; we are heading toward potential chaos,” he cautioned. “The expansion of this conflict could spark a fire that no one will be able to control. We must not allow that to happen.”
Guterres’s appeal comes amid growing fears that the Iran-Israel confrontation could draw in regional and global powers, destabilising the broader Middle East and beyond.
