BEIJING, March 3. /TASS/. Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, and China is insisting that the US and Israel stop the strikes, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.
"We note that Iran has repeatedly confirmed its lack of intention to develop nuclear weapons and has recently engaged in serious and candid conversations with the US," she said at a briefing. "We urge an immediate end to hostilities and the resumption of dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible to maintain the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and ensure peace and stability in the Middle East and the world," the diplomat noted.
The spokeswoman also recalled that the US and Israel attacked Iran during the negotiations, thus violating international law and causing tensions in the Middle East to escalate. She added that Beijing consistently supports the peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and talks and respects Tehran’s right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The United States and Israel launched a large-scale 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. At the same time, US leadership openly called on the Iranian population to rise up against their government and seize power. As a result of the strikes, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several other senior figures in the leadership of the Islamic Republic were killed. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were also hit.