UN pushes for diplomacy to de-escalate tensions in Middle East: spokesman

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been maintaining contact with various parties to push for de-escalating tensions in the Middle East region through diplomacy, said a spokesman for the UN chief on Wednesday in New York City.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN secretary-general, made the statement at a regular press briefing. He said the UN always believes that diplomatic negotiations are the only way to resolve conflicts.

"We continue to believe that negotiations is the way to solve this current conflict. We're seeing this increase in military rhetoric. We're seeing the increase of military activity. We're seeing the expansion of this conflict to other areas. He (UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres) will continue to push for diplomacy, a return to negotiation, respect for international law and trying to convince enough countries to move in that direction," said Dujarric.

Iran said on Wednesday that 1,045 people have been killed in the country since Saturday as a result of U.S.-Israeli strikes.

The toll follows joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities starting Saturday morning, which resulted in the deaths of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his family members, top military commanders, and many civilians.

Iran has since responded with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the region.

UN pushes for diplomacy to de-escalate tensions in Middle East: spokesman

The European Commission said Wednesday that it is keeping a close eye on any potential risks to the European Union (EU)'s gas and oil supply amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The European Commission's gas coordination group and oil coordination group held separate meetings on Wednesday, during which the Commission and EU countries took stock of the situation concerning the gas and oil security of supply to the 27-member bloc.

The meetings came as price of natural gas in the EU has surged by as much as 60 percent over the past few days, with futures breaking through 56 euros per megawatt hour to hit a three-year high on Wednesday, driven by the shutdown of a liquefied natural gas facility in Qatar and shipment disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to a European Commission press release, EU countries confirmed no immediate security risks to natural gas supply, but expressed concerns over the surging prices of oil and natural gas.

The Commission will continue to monitor the situation and keep regular communication with EU countries and market participants. In case of a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz or further disruptions, the EU security of oil and gas supply will be reassessed, said the press release.

EU closely watching Middle East tensions' impact on energy supply