UN News Today 25 March 2026 |

War ‘out of control’, warns UN chief

The Middle East war and its fallout continue to have a global impact, with UN chief António Guterres on Wednesday saying that the conflict is now “out of control”.

“It is time to stop climbing the escalation ladder and … return to full respect of international law,” the UN Secretary-General told journalists in New York.

Echoing that message, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned of the “immense danger” for “a number of other countries in the broader region, including Iraq and Syria, as well as the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, the longer the war continues.

“The disruption by Iran of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is affecting global supply chains, with dire implications for some of the world’s poorest people. Fossil fuels, medicine, food, and fertilizers are just some of the vital goods that are being held up at sea. This is disrupting global energy markets and supplies; and has the potential to create serious hunger and healthcare crises.”

The UN rights chief was addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which passed a resolution condemning Iranian bombing of Gulf States.

The text of the resolution does not mention the Israeli-US strikes on Iran that sparked the war, nor Israeli attacks on Lebanon, as Indonesia pointed out.

On Friday, the Human Rights Council will hold another urgent debate, this time on the bombing of a school in Minab, Iran, that killed 168 children on the first day of the war.

Iran offers safe passage through Strait of Hormuz: UN maritime agency 

The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has confirmed that it has spoken to Iran to establish the criteria allowing ships to pass safely through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

In a letter to the IMO, Iranian authorities said the Strait remains open and that all – “non-hostile” – ships would be granted safe passage.

The letter noted that “vessels, equipment and any assets belonging to the aggressor parties, namely the United States and the Israeli regime” and other countries it deems to be involved, “do not qualify”.

The IMO reiterated that its main focus is still to evacuate the 20,000 seafarers stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital waterway for around one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas.

“We need to recognise that seafarers are there from different nationalities and they are not linked to the conflict. Seafarers are just doing their job,” the agency said.

Ukraine: massive drone and missile attack reported: OHCHR

To Ukraine, where UN human rights monitors have reported that Russia launched a massive and deadly new wave of attacks two nights ago.

According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, on 23 to 24 March, Russia launched “nearly 1,000 drones and dozens of missiles” at Ukrainian cities, killing at least six people and injuring almost 100. 

“The attacks damaged residential areas, medical facilities and energy infrastructure,” the mission said.

Targets included a monastery in the western city of Lviv and a maternity hospital in neighbouring Ivano-Frankivsk region. 

The UN mission noted that this latest barrage was a repeat of an alarming tactic used by Russia last year that involved firing “powerful, long-range weapons against densely populated areas”, contributing to increased civilian casualties.

It is more than four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

More than 15,000 civilian killings have been confirmed, although the true number is likely much higher, according to the UN monitoring mission.

It says in addition that 3.7 million people are now internally displaced in areas still controlled by the Kyiv government.

Daniel Johnson, UN News