UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep concern over the latest escalation in tension across the Gulf region, said his spokesman in a statement issued on Friday.
"The Secretary-General has consistently advocated for de-escalation in the Gulf. He is deeply concerned with the recent escalation," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres.
"This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint", the UN chief was quoted as saying in the statement. "The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf."
Speaking to reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York during the regular noon briefing, Haq said that Guterres had spoken to the U.S. Ambassador to the UN about the situation, but did not give details of the call.
The situation in the Gulf escalated dramatically after the killing of a top Iranian military commander by the U.S. forces at a Baghdad airport in Iraq on Thursday.
