Renowned American economist, Jeffrey Sachs, on Wednesday said international pressure would be a "decisive" factor in ending the war in the Middle East.

He called for world leaders to "stick their necks out" to condemn the aggression and demand an unconditional end to the war.

The remarks came as Israel and the US continue to carpet bomb Tehran, with Iran retaliating against Israel and US assets in neighbouring Gulf countries.

Speaking on RTHK's Backchat programme on Wednesday, Sachs said it is a mistake that no country wants to step up and confront the US and Israel, despite knowing what these two countries are capable of.

He warned their action may normalise this kind of action, suggesting the outcome would be catastrophic if the aggression continues.

"What we need is a world leader saying this needs to stop before the whole world is dragged into a catastrophe and world leaders should be saying that Trump and Netanyahu have committed aggression without reason and it needs to stop unconditionally not on the basis of negotiations," he said.

He pointed out that public opinion and the US Congress have little role in decision-making, while the CIA, White House, and other agencies hold significant power, resulting in a situation where the media presents a narrative that is against the views and interests of US citizens.

He also said US President Donald Trump's recent speeches on how the war might unfold were "totally contradictory".

Sachs noted Trump had sent confusing signals — hinting that the war could end soon, but at the same time, saying America could hit Iran “20 times harder”.

Sachs believed that Trump's sudden hint to a nearly-completed war on Iran indicated there was a push for an end to hostilities from US government insiders who want to avoid a disaster.

"Clearly there are senior people on the inside in the US government that are saying: 'this has to end before a complete economic and military catastrophe' and that's why Trump suddenly said that the war is nearly complete," he said, emphasising that there is no military path of success for US and Israel.



Edited by Tony Sabine