China Slams Israel for Killing Iranian High Official

JAKARTA - The Chinese government has strongly condemned the killing of Iranian leaders and attacks on civilians by Israel for increasing tensions in the Middle East.

The statement was made in connection with the death of the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) of Iran Ali Larijani in an attack on Tuesday (17/3) along with his son, Morteza Larijani; deputy for security affairs in the council's secretariat, Alireza Bayat; and several others.

"China is shocked to hear the news. The killing of Iranian leaders and attacks on civilian targets are completely unacceptable," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a press conference in Beijing, Thursday, March 19, reported by ANTARA.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had killed Larijani in an ongoing attack on Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday confirmed the death of Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij volunteer force, in a US-Israeli attack.

"In the midst of the raging conflict in the Middle East, where tensions continue to escalate and spread, the international community has widely called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. We urge the parties to the conflict to immediately stop military operations and prevent the region from being plunged into chaos," said Lin Jian.

Lin Jian said that currently, China's Special Envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, is visiting a number of countries in the Middle East to help ease the situation and realize peace.

Zhai Jun is said to have met with the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Egypt, as well as the Secretaries-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League. He also had a telephone conversation with the State Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar to exchange in-depth views on the regional situation.

"During the visit, Special Envoy Zhai Jun explained China's position on the current situation, and emphasized that a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities are the fundamental solution," Lin Jian added.

Zhai Jun asked the conflicting parties to immediately stop military operations and prevent the situation from turning into total chaos, and called for dialogue and negotiations, resolving differences through political and diplomatic channels.

After the death of a number of high-ranking Iranian officials, the Supreme Leader of Iran Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday (18/3) also vowed that "criminal killers" behind the murder of Ali Larijani would soon receive a response.

In a statement on the X social media account, Mojtaba also said that Larijani's murder showed the importance of his existence until there was a feud that was buried by enemies of Islam against him.

The US and Israel have continued joint attacks on Iran since February 28, which have so far killed around 1,300 people, including Iran's then-supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

Iran also retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states hosting US military assets.

In addition to the attack on Iran, Israel has also launched attacks on Lebanon since March 2, 2026 which has caused 912 people to die, with another 2,221 injured. Israeli fighter planes continue to launch air raids on a number of Lebanese areas, especially targeting cities in southern Lebanon and the southern outskirts of Beirut.