China has condemned US-Israeli strikes on Iran as “unacceptable” and called for an immediate ceasefire as airstrikes continue to escalate conflict across the Middle East, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone call with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Sunday.
The Foreign Minister said China wants an immediate halt to military operations in Iran, a quick return to dialogue and joint opposition to unilateral action, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
The latest diplomatic exchange comes as US and Israeli forces continue strikes across Iran that began on Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials and plunging Tehran into a widening war and leadership crisis.
According to the Chinese readout, Wang Yi said disputes should be handled through negotiations rather than force. China has long said it supports the principles of the United Nations Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
CHINA SLAMS STRIKES DURING TALKS
He said it was unacceptable for the United States and Israel to launch attacks on Iran while Washington and Tehran were still engaged in negotiations. He also criticised the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, saying it amounted to the targeting of the head of a sovereign state and risked forced political change.
Senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been named Iran’s interim Supreme Leader after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the airstrike on Tehran, according to the state-linked ISNA news agency.
Iran also stepped up retaliation after the strikes, launching fresh waves of missiles and drones at Israel, US bases and several Gulf states. Tehran has vowed revenge for the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian calling retaliation a “legitimate right.”
Crowds gathered in Tehran as fresh explosions were heard across the city, while the Israeli military said it was carrying out new strikes on central targets. Blasts were also reported in Jerusalem and in several Gulf capitals, including Riyadh, Dubai, Doha and Manama.
President Masoud Pezeshkian described Khamenei’s killing as a “declaration of war against Muslims” and warned: “Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime.”
With inputs from agencies
