Latest news with #FuCong
Russia Today
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Attack on Iran damaged US credibility
The US has damaged its own credibility by attacking Iran's nuclear sites, Chinese UN Ambassador Fu Cong has said, denouncing the strikes as a violation of international norms and the United Nations charter. Earlier this month, Israel launched a series of aerial attacks on Iranian territory, claiming Tehran was close to building a nuclear weapon. The US later joined the campaign, bombing multiple nuclear facilities. On Tuesday, both Iran and Israel confirmed they had agreed to a ceasefire after nearly two weeks of hostilities. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Sunday, Fu said the US attack had not only harmed Iran but also 'damaged' Washington's credibility, 'both as a country and as a participant in any international negotiations.' The Chinese Foreign Ministry added that the strikes violated international law. Spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday that attacking nuclear facilities that were under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) constituted 'a serious violation of the United Nations Charter.' Guo told reporters that Beijing was prepared to strengthen communication and coordination with all parties in order to 'play a constructive role in restoring peace in the Middle East.' The Israeli-US strikes have drawn widespread condemnation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said there is 'no justification' for what he called 'unprovoked aggression' against Iran. During a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow on Monday, Putin described Israel's actions as 'illegitimate' and in violation of international law. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has also criticized the attacks. In a post on Sunday, he said that the 'vast majority of countries' opposed the Israeli-US operation and accused President Donald Trump of pushing the US into another war. Medvedev added that Trump could 'forget about the Nobel Peace Prize.'
Nikkei Asia
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
China pushes ceasefire at UN as Asia echoes call to end Iran war
The United Nations Security Council meets after the U.S attack on Iran's nuclear sites, at U.N. headquarters in New York on June 22. © Reuters Nikkei staff writers TOKYO -- China's ambassador to the United Nations issued a fresh rebuke of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at an emergency Security Council meeting, as governments across Asia warily assessed a new era in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to enter the Israel-Iran conflict by bombing three key nuclear sites over the weekend "seriously violated the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, infringed upon Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, aggravated tensions in the Middle East and severely impacted the international nuclear non-proliferation system," Ambassador Fu Cong said on Sunday at the U.N. in New York, according to China's Xinhua state news agency.
Mint
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
How could China step in after Iran's nuclear setback following US strikes? Experts weigh in
In a surprise attack, the United States struck Iran's nuclear facilities — Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow — on Saturday night. Slamming the attack, China said it has damaged the US's credibility, warning the situation 'may go out of control', according to its state broadcaster. Experts have weighed in on Beijing's role as Tehran suffers a serious setback to its nuclear programme. China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong said parties should contain the 'impulse of force, avoid exacerbating conflicts and adding fuel to the fire', particularly Israel 'should immediately cease fire to prevent the situation from escalating and avoid the spillover of war'. Iran was impacted 'but the United States' credibility was also damaged - both as a country and as a participant in any international negotiations,' he said. In a statement exclusively to Livemint, former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed said, 'At this stage, it can be assessed that Iran's military nuclear programme has been significantly set back, though not entirely dismantled.' He believes Beijing is expected to pressure Iran to de-escalate. Melamed opined, 'The Iranian regime now faces two paths, both of which it perceives as choosing the lesser of two evils. One option is to continue the military confrontation. The other is to return to the negotiating table. The distinction is critical: the military path would dramatically escalate the threat to the regime's survival, while a negotiated path—though requiring the regime to swallow a bitter pill and accept conditions it once refused to even discuss—could allow it to preserve a core power base and maintain its grip on power.' He added, "In this context, China's role is worth watching closely. It is likely that Beijing will exert quiet but deliberate pressure on Iran to de-escalate and resume negotiations. In either scenario, a period of intense internal turbulence within the regime is expected, with consequences that remain unclear at this time.' Senior Analyst at the Renmin University of China, Zhou Rong said, "In the war between Russia and Ukraine, Foreign Minister Wang Yi was very clear that China stood with peace and not with either side. So this time, whether it's Israel or Iran, China's position remains the same,' according to The National News. 'China will do its best to promote peace in the region. It will act within its capacity. We will do more to support Iran, morally, but no one – not China or any other country – can stop Israel's attacks. All we can do is try to form a united front against Israel's aggressive behaviour and help Iran with some level of resistance. But even then, China still hopes to stop the war between the two sides," Zhou further remarked. Meanwhile, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, mentioned that the Chinese citizens in Iran who were showing readiness to leave had all been evacuated to safe areas. As many as '3,125 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated from Iran' with the help of China's foreign ministry, the Chinese embassy in Iran and other authorities, Jiakun informed. While Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the world must ensure Iran does not become a nuclear threat again, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to stop Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz. 'I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Strait of Hormuz for their oil. If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It's economic suicide for them if they do it,' Fox News quoted Rubio as saying. He added, "If they [close the Strait]... it will be economic suicide for them. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries' economies a lot worse than ours."
RTHK
23-06-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
China cautions against Mideast war spillover
China cautions against Mideast war spillover China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong says the parties should stop fanning the fire of war in the Middle East. Photo: Reuters China said the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has damaged Washington's credibility and warned the situation "may go out of control", following a UN Security Council meeting. US President Donald Trump said Washington had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. The UN Security Council met on Sunday to discuss US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites as China, Russia and Pakistan proposed the 15-strong body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong said parties should restrain the "impulse of force, avoid exacerbating conflicts and adding fuel to the fire", according to CCTV. Fu said parties, especially Israel, "should immediately cease fire to prevent the situation from escalating and avoid the spillover of war". Iran was hurt "but the United States credibility was also damaged – both as a country and as a participant in any international negotiations," Fu said. He spoke as the Foreign Ministry in Beijing urged Iran and Israel on Monday to de-escalate in order to prevent the "spillover" of their war. "The Chinese side urges the parties to the conflict to prevent the situation from escalating repeatedly, resolutely avoid spillover from the war, and return to the path of political resolution," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. Aerial assaults raged between Iran and Israel early on Monday while Tehran vowed retaliation over the bunker-buster bombs American warplanes unleashed at the weekend on three nuclear sites. Iran said on Monday that the US attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called Trump a "gambler" for joining Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesman for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said the US should expect heavy consequences for its actions. "Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it," Zolfaqari said in English at the end of a recorded video statement. Guo was speaking after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China on Sunday to help deter Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route, following American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Beijing said on Monday the international community must do more to prevent fighting between Iran and Israel from impacting the global economy, noting that the "Persian Gulf and surrounding waters are important international trade routes". "Maintaining security and stability in this region is in the common interests of the international community," Guo said. "China calls on the international community to make greater efforts to promote the de-escalation of the conflict and prevent regional instability from having a greater impact on global economic development." (Reuters/AFP)
News18
23-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Violated Sovereignty': China Condemns US Airstrikes On Nuclear Sites In Iran
Last Updated: China warned that the airstrikes have 'exacerbated tensions in the Middle East and dealt a heavy blow to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.' China issued a sharp condemnation of the United States on Sunday over its military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, calling the actions a violation of international norms and a threat to global security. The statement came during an emergency session of the UN Security Council, following the U.S. attack on the three nuclear sites. 'China strongly condemns the US attacks on Iran and the bombing of nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA," said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, according to a statement posted on the website of China's Permanent Mission to the UN. Fu added that the strikes 'seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, as well as Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity." China also said that the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities has undermined Washington's credibility and expressed concern that the escalating situation 'may go out of control," according to a report by the country's state broadcaster, following Sunday's UN Security Council emergency session. The response came after President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. had 'obliterated" Iran's key nuclear sites, describing the operation as a decisive show of force. The coordinated offensive, carried out alongside Israel, marks the largest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. First Published: June 23, 2025, 13:32 IST
