Sri Lanka, March 26 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that the war in the Middle East has spiraled "out of control."

Antonio Guterres urged an immediate halt to hostilities, called on Iran to stop attacking its neighbors, urged the US and Israel to end the war, and stressed that diplomacy remains the only path out of the crisis.

Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, he said the conflict has exceeded even the worst expectations and risks triggering a global catastrophe.

"Just hours into the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, I warned that the fighting risked triggering a chain reaction that no one could control. More than three weeks on, this war is out of control," he added.

"The conflict has bro...