World cannot afford another Gulf war, says UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for de-escalation in the Gulf, said his spokesman 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. The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf, he added.

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.