China’s foreign minister says US-Israel strike on Iran broke international law

China – Iran – (Web Desk) – China’s top diplomat Wang Yi spoke out strongly on Thursday. He said the US and Israeli attacks on Iran broke international law. He made these comments during phone calls with officials from the EU, Germany and Saudi Arabia.

Wang also had a clear message for the United Nations Security Council. He said the council should stop the situation from getting worse. He added that it should not give approval to military actions that were never authorised in the first place. This comes as the UN debates a new resolution about military force in the Strait of Hormuz.

That resolution was brought forward by Bahrain. It would allow countries to use whatever force is needed to keep the strait open for ships. The waterway has been almost completely blocked since Iran shut it down after US and Israeli strikes began in late February.

Wang was direct in his call with Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul. He said the attack on Iran had no backing from the UN Security Council. In his words it was a clear violation of international law.

“The actions of the UNSC should focus on easing the situation, not on giving unauthorised military actions the appearance of legitimacy, and certainly not on further intensifying conflict,” Wang said in a separate call with the European Union’s foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas.

Beijing is a close partner of Tehran and the main buyer of Iranian oil, most of which passes through the strait.

But it also has strong economic ties to the Gulf countries and has repeatedly criticised attacks on them.

Pakistan Pushes for Middle East Ceasefire

In another call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Wang warned “small and medium-sized countries” would bear the brunt of “endless troubles” if the UNSC didn’t fulfill its role to deescalate, according to CCTV.

China, together with Pakistan, has put forward a five-point initiative to end the war.