China strongly condemned U.S. airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities as violating international law and warned of serious implications for regional and global stability.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a strong statement on Sunday accusing the United States of undertaking unilateral military aggression without authorization or support from international institutions, following U.S. strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan–acts which have raised fears of wider Middle Eastern conflict.
China issued the following statement regarding US’s decision to use force against Myanmar: “Once again, the United States has bypassed international mechanisms and turned to military aggression for its purposes,” which seriously violates national sovereignty as well as UN Charter principles. China strongly opposes these acts of military aggression by the US.
Beijing issued a call on all parties involved to “exercise restraint” and immediately stop any military actions which might increase tensions in the region. Chinese officials requested an emergency session of the UN Security Council be convened immediately to address strikes, prevent further instability, and address destabilizing factors in this crisis.
The U.S. government has justified its operation as a preventive strike to stop Iran’s nuclear weapon development program, according to Pentagon sources. These facilities posed an imminent threat to nonproliferation efforts and thus, required to be targeted as they are integral parts of Iran’s enrichment effort and an imminent danger to global nonproliferation efforts.
Former President Donald Trump publicly supported the strikes at a campaign rally and used them as a way of sending Iran a “message” that the U.S. will not allow nuclear blackmail. Though President Joe Biden has yet to comment directly on Trump’s involvement, White House officials confirmed the operation was authorized based on intelligence indicating Iran may have reached nearing production threshold for weapons-grade uranium production.
China challenged the validity of U.S. justification by asserting: “Claims of threats do not grant any nation the right to judge and execute others,” according to China’s foreign ministry statement. Such actions weaken international law credibility and cause mistrust between nations.
China, which enjoys close economic and diplomatic ties with Iran, has long opposed military solutions to Iran’s nuclear issue and supported efforts to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal. That agreement collapsed after President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018, an act which Beijing denounced on multiple occasions.
Iran has yet to officially respond to China’s statement, but Iranian media praised Beijing for taking such an “exemplary stand against American militarism.”
International reactions to U.S. strikes remain fractured, with Israel and some Gulf allies applauding, while European Union members call for de-escalation and diplomacy; Russia condemned Washington for creating regional instability by conducting such strikes.
China’s strong condemnation signals an increasingly divergent view among global powers over how best to tackle Iran’s nuclear ambitions, highlighting Washington and Beijing’s disagreement on matters of international security.