United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said on Wednesday he would “continue his active engagement with relevant actors” in an effort to de-escalate United States-Iran tensions following Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Iraq.

“It is our common duty to make every effort to avoid a war in the Gulf that the world cannot afford,” Guterres said in a statement.

The UN chief also reiterates his “passionate appeal for peace” made on Monday, when he urged both sides to “stop the escalation.”

The Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, on Wednesday, expressed deep concern over the evolving situation in the Middle East because of the US-Iran tensions, underlining the imperative of avoiding any further escalation, an official said.

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He stated this after the tensions between the US and Iran heightened over a US drone strike that killed Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, near Baghdad airport last Friday.

The prime minister’s office said during the meeting with the Omani minister the two discussed the recent developments in the Middle East and the Gulf region, with Khan saying that war is in nobody’s interest.

“Recalling that Pakistan had suffered greatly due to earlier regional conflicts, the prime minister made clear that Pakistan would not be part of any conflict in the region,” the statement added. (NAN)

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