United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned the Security Council members not to further escalate tensions with reprisals against Iran.

Speaking to a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, Antonio Guterres said the Middle East is on the brink and the people of the region are confronting a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict.

He said now is the time to defuse and de-escalate as the U.N. charter bars the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.