Mideast war ‘out of control’, UN chief; calls for climbing the diplomatic, not the escalation ladder

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 25 (APP): The war in the Middle East is “is out of control,” and has “broken past the limits even leaders thought imaginable,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters outside the Security Council chamber in New York.

Three weeks after the conflict began, he said the “world is staring down the barrel of a wider war, a rising tide of human suffering, and a deeper global economic shock.”

The UN chief added that across the region and further afield “civilians are enduring serious harm and living under profound insecurity,” and that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was “choking the movement of oil, gas, and fertilizer at a critical moment in the global planting season.”

Calling for an end to the military escalation, Guterres said. “It is time to stop climbing the escalation ladder and start climbing the diplomatic ladder, and return to full respect of international law.”

Pointing to the key parties involved in the war, he said, “My message to the United States and Israel is that it is high time to end the war as human suffering deepens, civilian casualties mount, and the global economic impact is increasingly devastating.”

Guterres urged Iran to end attacks on the Gulf countries, arguing that they “are not parties to the conflict.”

Highlighting the economic ripple effects of the war, the UN chief said, “The prolonged closure of the Strait (of Hormuz) is choking the movement of oil, gas, and fertilizer at a critical moment in the global planting season.”

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global goods and energy trade, had been largely disrupted by escalating tensions in the Gulf following US and Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.

The strait, which connects Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, and Iran to global markets, handles roughly 25% of global oil trade, about 20% of liquefied natural gas trade, and nearly 30% of fertilizer trade.

The UN chief turned his attention to Lebanon and said, “Israel must stop its military operations and strikes in Lebanon, which are hitting civilians the hardest,” adding, “The Gaza model must not be replicated in Lebanon.”

In efforts to de-escalate tensions, Guterres further announced the appointment of Jean Arnault of France as his “personal envoy to lead the UN efforts on the conflict and its consequences.”

Arnault was the UN chief’s personal envoy on Afghanistan and regional issues in 2021.

When asked for details about Arnault’s role, Guterres said he “will be doing everything possible to support all the efforts for mediation, all the efforts for peace, to be in contact with all the parties” in the Middle East.

Guterres emphasized the need for diplomacy and full respect for international law, expressing hope that the parties involved in the Iran war will reach “an understanding to end this horrible conflict.”

“Because the consequences of the conflict, that is totally out of control at the present moment, are absolutely devastating,” he added.

The region has been shaken since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, so far killing more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.