The UN human rights chief says the resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran is a significant blow to civilians in the region that risks severely disrupting the flow of food, medicines, and other essentials, Reuters reports.

The fighting “undermines peace efforts and deepens instability, with grave risks for human rights across the entire region,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, says in a statement.

“The return to wider hostilities in the Middle East between the US and Iran is a huge setback for civilians in the region and beyond,” he added, urging restraint.

Turk has raised the alarm about the potential human rights impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“It is a vital lifeline on which millions are reliant. Disruptions to the flow of food, medicines, and other necessary commodities have severe socio-economic and humanitarian consequences, both regionally and globally,” he states.