The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement defending “Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity” and discouraged “escalation” on Friday morning, responding to an Israeli operation targeting high-ranking Iranian military leaders.
“China is closely following Israel’s attacks on Iran and is deeply concerned about the potential grave consequences of the operations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters during his regular briefing on Friday. “China opposes actions that violate Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes moves that escalate tensions and enlarge conflicts.”
“The abrupt heating up of the region serves no one’s interests. China calls on relevant parties to choose the course of action that is conducive to the region’s peace and stability, and avoid further escalation of the tensions. China stands ready to play a constructive role in helping ease the situation,” Lin concluded.
In addition to its official statement, the Chinese government published instructions for its citizens in Israel, advising them not to disregard safety alerts in the event that Iran attempts to bomb the country in retaliation for the strikes in the early morning hours of Friday, local time.
“The current security situation is complex and severe,” the statement explained, according to the Chinese state media outlet Global Times. “The embassy urgently reminds all Chinese nationals in the country to closely monitor developments, remain calm, stay vigilant, and be fully prepared for potential attacks involving missiles, rockets, or drones.”
“Strengthen all personal safety precautions, avoid going out unless absolutely necessary, and strictly stay away from military facilities and sensitive sites, according to the post,” the message advised.
The government of Israel announced on Friday morning that it had launched “Operation Rising Lion,” targeting both top Iranian military leaders and its illicit nuclear energy facilities to prevent the Islamist regime from building a nuclear weapon. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stormed Iranian skies and bombed various facilities known to enrich uranium, as well as the offices and residences of top Iranian terror organizers.
“For decades, the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly and openly called for Israel’s destruction, backing up their genocidal rhetoric with a nuclear weapons development program,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained in a public address on Friday. “In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atomic bombs — nine.”
The Iranian Islamist regime on Friday confirmed the deaths of several senior military leaders, most prominently the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami. The IRGC, in addition to being a critical arm of the Iranian military, is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization that serves as a liaison between Tehran and its many terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East and Latin America. Others identified as killed on Friday morning include armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Air Force commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, and multiple nuclear scientists.
Preceding the attack was the alarming development of the United Nations rebuking Iran for its illicit nuclear development through its nuclear watchdog arm, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA passed its first resolution against Iran in two decades on Thursday, opposed only by a handful of nations including China. The resolution was in response to the director of the agency, Rafael Grossi, revealing during a board meeting this week that he had reason to believe Iran was running at least three secret uranium enrichment sites and had attempted to “sanitize” them to hide them from United Nations inspectors.
China is one of Iran’s closest geopolitical allies, leveraging its warm relations with Tehran to attempt to elevate its status in the Middle East. Genocidal Chinese dictator Xi Jinping met President Masoud Pezeshkian, an envoy of “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Russia in October, promising to “unswervingly develop friendly cooperation” with Iran. In large part due to China’s backing, Iran became a member of the BRICS anti-American economic and security bloc in 2024.
“The Chinese side supports Iran in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and national dignity, steadily advancing its own economic and social development,” Xi told Pezeshkian at the time, “and improving and deepening good-neighborly and friendly relations with neighboring countries.”
China and Iran signed an unprecedented 25-year “comprehensive strategic partnership” agreement in 2021, covering a host of economic and military sectors. It notably included business in the oil industry and resulted in a $400-billion commitment by China to invest in the Iranian economy.
China is believed to be one of Iran’s top oil customers and a key partner in avoiding international sanctions on the regime aimed at curtailing its illicit nuclear activities. In May, the U.S. Treasury Department announced a series of sanctions on Chinese and Iranian companies in response to ongoing sanctions violations.
“Today’s action underscores our continued focus on intensifying pressure on every aspect of Iran’s oil trade, which the regime uses to fund its dangerous and destabilizing activities,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said at the time. “The United States will continue targeting this primary source of revenue, so long as the regime continues its support for terrorism and proliferation of deadly weapons.”
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