Guterres appealed for calm and restraint, and urged all parties to immediately de-escalate the situation and avoid further violence. He said all parties must rise above their differences and engage, without further delay, in a peaceful and inclusive dialogue on a constructive path forward.

On Monday shelling struck Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone, which houses government buildings, after Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said he was quitting politics, sparking chaos.

Tensions have soared in Iraq amid a political crisis that has left the country without a new government, prime minister, or president for months, and escalated sharply after Sadr’s supporters stormed the government palace following their leader’s announcement.

Al-Sadr urged his supporters to continue protesting until their demands to dissolve Parliament and call early elections are met.