Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that China's position on the situation in Iran is clear: an immediate halt to military operations, a swift return to dialogue and negotiations, and joint opposition to unilateral steps.

Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said this during a telephone conversation with the Russian foreign minister Sergejem Lavrovem o situaci v Íránu.

He recalled that the UN Security Council had convened an emergency meeting on the situation in Iran on Saturday. China, he said, had long advocated respect for the aims and principles of the UN Charter and opposed the use of force in international relations.

According to Wang Yi, it is unacceptable for the United States and Israel to launch strikes against Iran at a time when negotiations between Iran and the US were underway. He added that it was also unacceptable to openly kill the leader of a sovereign state and encourage regime change. „These actions violate international law and the basic norms of international relations,“ uvedl.

The conflict, he said, has now spread to the entire Persian Gulf and has plunged the Middle East into a dangerous situation. „China is very concerned about this development,“ dodal.

Wang Yi called on all parties to promote peace and prevent further escalation of the conflict. He said the parties should return to the path of dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible.

Unjustified attacks on sovereign states undermine the foundations of peace established after the Second World War, according to the Chinese foreign minister. The international community should therefore send a clear and unambiguous signal against the world's return to the „law of the jungle“.

Sergei Lavrov said that the military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran had seriously destabilised the situation in the Middle East.

He said Russia shared China's position and was ready to strengthen coordination and communication with Beijing. Through platforms such as the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the two countries want to send a clear signal calling for an immediate cessation of the war and a return to diplomatic negotiations.

CMG