The U.S. and Israel must end their bombing campaign before the situation spirals out of control, the UN has warned.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who issued the warning, however, advised Iran to stop attacking Gulf neighbours who have played no direct part in the war roiling the Middle East and beyond.

The UN chief noted that the military assault on Iran is leading to more civilian suffering, especially in least developed nations, where the consequences of rising energy prices and supply chain bottlenecks could have “tragic consequences”.

Attacks in recent days by Israel and Iran on natural gas fields and other energy infrastructure in the Gulf have seen prices rise sharply for consumers.

Multiple countries have also called on Tehran to stop attacks and threats to shipping in the vital Strait of Hormuz off the Iranian coast.

The UN chief urged Iran to “stop attacking your neighbours”. 

“They were never parties to the conflict. The Security Council has condemned these attacks.

“The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz causes enormous pain in so many people around the world who have nothing to do with this conflict,” Mr Guterres stated.

“It’s time for the force of the law to prevail over the law of force. It’s time for diplomacy to prevail over war,” the UN chief said. 

(NAN)