China Warns of Wider Middle East Fallout From US-Iran Standoff

Beijing, October 28: China has appealed to the United States, Iran and all concerned countries to end the current standoff and settle their dispute through talks rather than force.

China's envoy to the United Nations, Fu Cong, delivered the message on Tuesday at an open Security Council session dedicated to Iran's nuclear programme. He cautioned that rising tensions in the Middle East are affecting peace and stability across the region and the world.

Fu noted that US-Iran negotiations are currently suspended. He also pointed to reports about new military preparations against Iran, which he said are adding to the already fragile situation.

He argued that the root of the present deadlock lies in the decision by the United States to withdraw unilaterally from the Iran nuclear deal. Since then, he said, Washington has reimposed sanctions, repeatedly expanded them and adopted a policy of maximum pressure.

Fu further accused three European countries of not meeting their own commitments under the nuclear pact, while still endorsing US unilateral sanctions. In his view, the fast-track restoration of sanctions by these states was legally and procedurally wrong and had harmed the unity and credibility of the Security Council.

He also said the United States and Israel had launched military attacks twice on Iranian nuclear facilities that were under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. These strikes made it hard for the agency to keep monitoring those sites. Nonetheless, some countries had passed an IAEA resolution on Iranian monitoring. Fu termed this move politically motivated and said it damaged cooperation between the agency and Iran.

Fu stressed that the Iran nuclear agreement and Security Council Resolution 2231 both confirm that the nuclear question can be resolved only through political and diplomatic dialogue. He added that Iran must keep its promise not to develop nuclear weapons.

He concluded that all parties should respect Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as a Non-Proliferation Treaty member. He appealed to the United States to make a commitment not to carry out military strikes against Iran, so that nuclear monitoring can continue effectively without military pressure.