UN chief warns world facing a 'wider war,' urges end to strikes on Iran

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the Middle East conflict risked spiraling into a wider war, as he called for an immediate halt to US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on its neighbors.

"We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe," the secretary-general told reporters in New York.

He cited rising costs, saying people are already struggling from rising energy and food prices.

"When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe," he says.

He calls for disputes to be settled "peacefully" and says that civilian infrastructure "including nuclear installations" should be "respected and protected".

He goes on to say: "My message is clear, 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.

"To Iran, to stop attacking their neighbours.”