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Middle East conflict

China, Russia should cooperate to de-escalate Middle East tensions — envoy

According to Igor Morgulov, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia support a ceasefire and the start of peace talks

BEIJING, March 26. /TASS/. China and Russia should work together to advance peace talks and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Zhai Jun, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, said at a meeting with Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov in Beijing.

"As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia support a ceasefire and the start of peace talks. They should cooperate to ensure international justice and jointly advance the de-escalation of regional tensions," China Central Television quoted the diplomat as saying.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.

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