China asked this Wednesday “keep calm and exercise restraint” following the attacks launched by the United States against Iran and the subsequent Iranian response against US military bases in the Middle East, and urged the parties to avoid further escalation and return to diplomatic channels.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ling Jianexpressed in a press conference Beijing’s “deep concern” about the situation and called on all parties involved to adopt “concrete measures” to reduce tensions.
Lin further stated that disputes should be resolved through political and diplomatic means and advocated reaching “as soon as possible” a “comprehensive and lasting” ceasefire.
The statements come after the US launched three rounds of strikes against Iran in response to the downing of a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, an operation to which Tehran responded with attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed this Wednesday the “right to defend itself” of the Islamic Republic and warned the countries of the Persian Gulf about their “responsibility” to prevent the United States from using their territories to attack Iran.
According to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the US Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain was among the targets of the retaliation, while Jordan claimed to have intercepted several missiles without any casualties or material damage.
The new escalation occurs despite the fact that US President Donald Trump assured that it is still possible to reach an agreement with Tehran in “two or three days” after several weeks of negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
