Talk is the only path to de-escalate the current Israel-Iran conflict

Editor's note: CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.

Ceasefire is an urgent priority in settling the Israel-Iran conflict, and the use of force is not the right way to resolve international disputes.

That is what Chinese President Xi Jinping said during his Thursday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That should also be the consensus of the international community, yet it is now scarcely talked about and risks the danger of being neglected.

Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire in their now week-long war. The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel’s strikes have killed more than 600 people in Iran. Residents of Tehran have been fleeing their homes in droves. In retaliation, Iran has launched some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, more than 20 people have been killed in Israel.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which reports to the United Nations, said it believed that Israel’s aerial attacks on Iran’s Natanz enrichment location had directly affected the facility’s underground centrifuge facility.

Leaders from regional powers like Egypt, Qatar and  the United Arab Emirates have been calling for immediate de-escalation, citing the urgency of preventing the conflict from sprawling into broader regional instability.

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly ended his trip to the G7 Summit in Canada and returned to Washington earlier. A situation room meeting was called and Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone. Trump said the U.S. may or may not join Israel’s strikes against Iran. Till now, America’s answer to solve the Israel-Iran crisis remains ambiguous.

But it shouldn’t be. The United States remains the one and only power that can stop Israel from further bombing Iran, therefore the one and only power that can prevent more suffering plaguing civilians in the region. The world awaits clarity from the U.S. and as a leader the U.S. should deliver that clarity.

To make a responsible and sensible decision, U.S. leaders first and foremost need to review and reassess the real information surrounding the conflict. Israel asserts its sweeping assault is necessary to prevent Iran from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. Calling Iran’s plans “imminent,”  Netayanhu said it required a pre-emptive strike from Israel. He was also trying to recruit Amrican help in this in order to shut down the Iranian uranium enrichment program for good.

But the U.S.’ own intelligence suggests otherwise. In a concise verdict during congressional testimony this March, Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said: the intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and supreme leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”

Plus, Donald Trump came into office declaring he was going to be a peacemaker and unifier and that promise should be honored. This is what Trump said on Inauguration Day: “Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable.” The international community anticipates the U.S. to forestall more violence in the world, if not ending the current ones in Ukraine, or in Gaza.

President Xi Jinping pointed out in his phone call with Russian President Putin that international law should be strictly followed and dialogue and negotiation are the fundamental way out. To seek a resolution to the crisis, the respect of a nation’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, also the respect of international law, should be paramount. Israel’s violation of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and its reckless attacks on Iranian officials and civilians should be condemned by the international community. Also Iran’s action to safeguard its national sovereignty, defend its legitimate rights and interests, and ensure the safety of its peole should be supported.

As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi explictly said in his phone call with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi on June 14th, the diplomatic means regarding the Iranian nuclear issue have not been exhausted, and there is still hope for a peaceful resolution. The rounds of previous negotiations between Iran and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Steven Witkoff should be preserved and continued. Regional and international powers, like EU countries and China, should all help and facilitate the process.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X, formerly Twitter, to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)