U.N. Human Rights chief ‘deeply shocked’, urges all sides in West Asia war to ‘come to their senses’

U.N. Human Rights chief urges all sides in West Asia conflict to end violence and protect civilians amid growing crisis.

The United Nations on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) urged all parties to “come to their senses” and end the war in the Middle East, with fear and panic spreading across the region and beyond.

U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said he was “deeply shocked” by how the conflict was affecting civilians.

Also Read: Iran-Israel conflict LIVE

“The fear, the panic, the anxiety experienced by millions of people in the Middle East and beyond is palpable -- and was entirely avoidable,” his spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a press conference in Geneva.

“The situation is worsening and widening by the hour, playing out our worst fears,” she added.

Mr. Turk “is deeply shocked by the impacts of the widespread hostilities on civilians and civilian infrastructure since the conflict erupted on Saturday (February 28) with Israel and the United States of America’s attacks on Iran, Iran’s response against states across the region, as well as Hezbollah’s subsequent entry into the conflict,” she said.