Foreign Minister Wang Yi Emphasizes China's Support for Iran to Defend its Sovereignty and Security

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a telephone call with his counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Monday said China supports Iran in defending itself against the US-Israeli attack, as the war in the Middle East spreads.

Foreign Minister Wang told Foreign Minister Araghchi that Beijing "values the traditional friendship between China and Iran, supports Iran in defending its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity, and national dignity, and supports Iran in protecting its legitimate rights and interests," according to state television station CCTV, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP (3/3).

Israel and the United States launched an attack on the capital Tehran and a number of cities in Iran on Saturday.

Quoted from ABC, the United States dubbed the operation "Operation Epic Fury" while Israel called it "Operation Roaring Lion."

Since Saturday morning, Israel and the US have carried out attacks on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khemenei and many other high-ranking security officials.

The US air force and navy, along with Israeli forces, have massively bombed Iran and President Donald Trump said the goal was to destroy the country's military capacity.

Hundreds of people have been killed in Iran since the attack, including Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of senior officials of the State of the Mullahs.

Tehran responded by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel, Gulf states, and a British base in Cyprus.

Four US military personnel have been killed in the fighting so far, while US President Donald Trump has warned that a war with Iran could last for weeks.

Foreign Minister Wang said China had "urged the US and Israel to immediately stop military operations, avoid further escalation of tensions, and prevent the conflict from spreading to the entire Middle East region."

In a separate phone call with Oman's Foreign Minister, also on Monday, Wang accused the United States and Israel of "violating the purposes and principles of the UN charter" by "deliberately instigating a war against Iran."

"China is also willing to play a constructive role, including upholding justice, seeking peace, and stopping the war through the UN Security Council platform," Wang told Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, as reported by CCTV.