Xinhua Commentary | The "Stop" Button for War Should Be Pressed as Soon as Possible

This article is reproduced from [Xinhua News Agency];

Xinhua News Agency, Baghdad, March 29 — Title: “Hit the Pause Button” on War as Soon as Possible

Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jun

Since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran one month ago, flames of war have burned fiercely across the Middle East. Casualty numbers continue to rise, spillover effects keep spreading, and the situation has seriously shaken global peace and stability. This conflict is once again pushing the Middle East into the depths of turmoil, while also forcing the world to pay a heavy price for the caprice of great-power politics. At such a time, it is especially important to stay clear-headed and recognize that military force cannot solve problems—hitting the “pause button” is urgent and cannot be delayed.

This is a war that should never have happened. Against the backdrop of people across the Middle East generally expecting peace and stability, and with a new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States underway, the United States and Israel suddenly sparked war, causing diplomatic efforts to come to nothing. This approach of breaking faith with peace commitments and placing blind faith in solving problems through force is not only deeply regrettable and disappointing for everyone who seeks peace, but also exposes the arrogance and short-sightedness of certain powers in strategic decision-making.

The right and wrong of this crisis are clear. The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran without authorization from the UN Security Council, openly violating the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law. Any attempt to undermine rules with strength and replace multilateral mechanisms with unilateral action is eroding fairness and justice in the international community. The international community should speak with one strong voice, jointly resist any conduct that violates international law, and oppose dragging the world back to the jungle era of the weak preying on the strong.

The prolongation of the fighting not only adds pressure to the already fragile security situation in the Middle East, but its impact also rapidly spills over beyond the region, threatening the economies and people’s livelihoods of countries around the world. With energy supplies tightening, international shipping disrupted, and market volatility increasing, global industry and supply chains face new uncertainties. Facts show that in today’s highly interconnected world, no war is “local,” and its price will ultimately be borne by the entire world together.

What must not be overlooked is that civilians are always the victims of war. Damage to infrastructure, disruption to normal life and public order, and the loss of innocent lives bring unbearable suffering to countless families. Any attacks on civilians and non-military targets are a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and also a trampling of humanity’s basic conscience. Indiscriminate attacks only deepen hatred and plant more seeds of conflict for the future.

This war once again confirms a simple truth: military means cannot solve fundamental problems, and force should never be the first option. Allowing the fighting to spread unchecked will only make problems more complex and harder to resolve, draw more countries deeper into a quagmire, and push the situation in the Middle East toward a dangerous abyss. The relevant parties, including the US and Israel, should stop military actions as soon as possible, prevent the situation from slipping further out of control, and create conditions for the restoration of dialogue.

When it comes to disputes and differences, dialogue and negotiations are the only way out. Force may be able to show strength for a moment, but it cannot eliminate the soil where contradictions grow, and it will only bring serious aftereffects. When facing differences, sitting down to talk is the only way to find the biggest common ground; only through diplomatic means can a durable security architecture be built.

War is merciless; peace is precious. One month of gunpowder smoke is enough to let the world see the cost of war clearly. Only by pressing the war’s “pause button” as soon as possible—bringing dialogue back onto the right track—can the Middle East hope to usher in stability and tranquility.

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