Chinese, Iranian FMs hold call, stress legality of Iran's response

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Apr 2024 09:57
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Chinese state agency Xinhua states that Amir-Abdollahian said his country was "willing to exercise restraint" with no intention of escalating tensions further.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in an official welcoming ceremony in Beijing, Feb. 14, 2023. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Chinese state media Xinhua confirmed on Tuesday that following phone discussions between China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, it was confirmed that Iran said it was "willing to exercise restraint" following the retaliatory strikes on "Israel".

According to Xinhua, citing a readout, Amir-Abdollahian relayed to Wang that the United Nations Security Council "did not make a necessary response to this attack" as he referred to the April 1 Israeli aggression on the Iranian embassy in Syria and that "Iran has the right to self-defense in response to the violation of its sovereignty."

Amir-Abdollahian said his country was "willing to exercise restraint" with no intention of escalating tensions further given that the regional situation was "very sensitive".

Wang responded that China "strongly condemns and firmly opposes the attack" on the Iranian embassy and sees it as a "serious violation of international law and unacceptable."

Wang was cited as saying, "China appreciates Iran's stress on not targeting regional and neighboring countries as well as its reiteration on continuously pursuing a good-neighborly and friendly policy," adding, "It is believed that Iran can handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil while safeguarding its own sovereignty and dignity."

The readout by Iran's Foreign Ministry declared that Wang was notified of Iran's "legitimate action" and "warned the White House" that further attacks on Iran's interests or security would invite a "decisive, immediate and extensive" response.

Wang, as per Xinhua, described the current regional situation as a "spillover effect" of the genocidal war on Gaza, noting that "China is willing to maintain communication with the Iranian side and jointly push for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue."

American predictions

In separate news, Xinhua said that Wang spoke with his Saudi counterpart on Monday and that they agreed to work on avoiding further escalation in the region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously tried asking Wang Yi and other counterparts to use their influence to dissuade Iran from striking "Israel" two days prior to it happening, but Blinken seemed to be asking the wrong person at the very wrong time amid the atrocities by "Israel" in Gaza.

This comes the same day after NBC News reported, citing four US officials, that the US expects "Israel's" response to Iran to be limited in scope as it will most likely involve strikes against Iranian military forces and Iranian allies outside the country.

The US officials stated that they were not briefed on "Israel’s" final decision on a response as it remains unclear when it will happen, still maintaining that it could happen at any given moment.

They added that before the actual attack, the US believed the possible scenarios ranged from a modest attack by Iran to a widespread one with Israeli casualties and the destruction of Israeli facilities, while the possible Israeli responses went from no military action to strikes inside Iran.

However, they claimed that because no casualties resulted from Iran's attacks, a less aggressive option could come from "Israel".

Striking inside Syria could also be an option as per three of the officials as they noted that the response could include striking shipments or facilities storing advanced missile parts, weapons, or components.

They confirmed that the US will not partake in the Israeli response, but they anticipate "Israel" to share intel beforehand.