China sharply criticised the United States and Israel on Sunday, calling on them to de-escalate their conflict with Iran, prioritise civilian safety and adhere to international law as Mideast anxiety intensified following the US attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities using massive “bunker buster” bombs.
Washington has violated Iranian sovereignty, “exacerbated tensions in the Middle East and dealt a heavy blow to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime”, said China’s United Nations ambassador Fu Cong at a UN Security Council emergency meeting, its third in 10 days.
“The international community must uphold justice and make concrete efforts to cool down the situation and restore peace and stability,” Fu added.
While the council’s five permanent members with veto power and 10 non-permanent members without cited the importance of ending the conflict in broad terms, their statements quickly divided along geopolitical lines, with China and Russia defending Iran, the US and its allies defending Israel, and each side censuring the other.
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Trump announces US attack on Iran nuclear sites
Trump announces US attack on Iran nuclear sites
While Beijing’s criticism of the US attack – a complex operation that targeted Iran’s Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites using GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs from B-2 aircraft – was largely couched in diplomatic niceties, Moscow felt little compunction to hold back.
