UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged the United States and Israel to end the war against Iran and called on Iran to stop attacking its neighbors.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, March 14, 2026. (File photo: Xinhua)

Speaking to reporters on the situation in the Middle East, Guterres said his 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."

"My message to Iran is to stop attacking their neighbors that are not parties to the conflict," the UN chief said.

"More than three weeks on, the war is out of control," he said, adding that the conflict "has broken past the limits even leaders thought unimaginable."

"This has gone too far," Guterres said, stressing that it is time to "stop climbing the escalation ladder -- and start climbing the diplomatic ladder, and return to full respect of international law."

The UN chief announced that he has just appointed Jean Arnault as his personal envoy to lead the UN efforts on the conflict and its consequences.

The war in Lebanon must also stop, he said, calling on Hezbollah to stop launching attacks into Israel, and Israel to stop its military operations and strikes in Lebanon. "The Gaza model must not be replicated in Lebanon."

"Around the globe, markets are in turmoil. Humanitarian operations are constrained. And on every front, the shock waves are falling hardest on those who bear no responsibility for this conflict: the poorest, the most vulnerable, the least able to absorb yet another blow," he said.

Underscoring that the UN system is deeply engaged in trying to minimize the consequences of the war, Guterres stated that "the best way to minimize those consequences is clear: end the war -- immediately."

"War is not the answer," he said.

"We need a way out of this disaster," Guterres said, adding that "diplomacy is the way out. Full respect of international law is the way out. Peace is the way out."