MojNews- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to exercise "maximum restraint" on Monday as tensions between Iran and the U.S. hit a fever pitch over the slaying of Tehran's top general.

Guterres told reporters at the UN's New York headquarters that he has been "following the recent rise in global tensions with great concern," and said he is in "constant contact" with global leaders as tensions mount.

"My message is simple and clear: stop escalation, exercise maximum restraint, restart dialogue, renew international cooperation," he said. "Let us not forget the terrible human suffering caused by war . As always, ordinary people pay the highest price. It is our common duty to avoid it."

Guterres did not explicitly name the U.S. or Iran during his brief remarks, but their bilateral tensions have been in the forefront of the global spotlight following the martyrdom of Qasem Soleimani who was martyred in a U.S. airstrike last Friday.