UN Secretary General António Guterres warned the Security Council that the Middle East crisis is “getting out of control,” saying the region was being pushed to the “edge of the unimaginable,” according to the Guardian’s live coverage on 23 July 2026.

His warning came amid a rapid escalation between the United States and Iran. US President Donald Trump said he was close to a decision on the largest-yet attack on Iran, the Guardian reported, while the US launched another round of strikes on the country as the day progressed.

Tensions centred on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the strait, according to the reports.

Ahead of that development, Trump issued a direct threat on his Truth Social platform. He wrote that “from this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” including those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran.

The Guardian’s coverage tracked the situation across the US day, noting that the round of strikes on Iran followed the earlier threats. The developments pointed to a widening confrontation with the potential to draw in wider regional actors.

As of the latest updates, fears were mounting of a further escalation spiral, with the UN chief’s remarks to the Security Council underscoring international concern about where the crisis could lead.