BEIJING: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday (Jun 18) warned that escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran could spiral out of control, urging all sides to prioritise a ceasefire to prevent the region from sliding into an “abyss”.
Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Wednesday, the sixth day of strikes between the regional rivals, fuelling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East.
“Israel’s acts of disregarding international law and international rules have caused the situation in the Middle East to suddenly become tense, and China is also deeply concerned that the situation may get out of control,” Wang said in a call with his Egyptian counterpart, according to a readout from China’s foreign ministry.
In a separate call with Oman’s foreign minister, Wang said the two countries “cannot sit idly by and let the region slide into an unknown abyss”, adding that reaching a ceasefire agreement was a “top priority”.
China and other world powers have pushed to find an off-ramp to the hostilities, which erupted after Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran last Friday.
The United States, meanwhile, has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”, with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday saying Washington may still take part in the conflict.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Islamic Republic would never surrender and warned the United States of “irreparable damage” if it intervenes. Israel said on Wednesday it had destroyed the internal security headquarters in Tehran.
