Beijing, China. China on Monday urged all parties involved in the Middle East conflict, particularly the U.S. and Israel, to cease military operations, warning that the use of force could lead to a “vicious cycle.”
China’s calls for de-escalation
Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun made the remarks at a briefing after a shuttle-diplomacy trip that included stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
“The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it,” Zhai said.
In a separate briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the use of force would only lead to a “vicious cycle” and that the war should not have been started. Lin added that if hostilities continue to spread and intensify, the entire region would be plunged into chaos.
Reference to the Iraq War anniversary
In a reply to Reuters seeking comment on the Iraq War anniversary last week, the Chinese foreign ministry said “the lessons of the past are not far behind us.”
The ministry said the war 23 years ago brought profound suffering to the Iraqi people and had a serious impact on the Middle East.
Last Friday marked the 23rd anniversary of the Iraq War, in which U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, partly on claims that his government possessed weapons of mass destruction. Though the regime fell quickly, Iraq sank into years of chaos and instability in a war estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people, cost the U.S. trillions of dollars and created a power vacuum that saw the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Comments on Iran and Strait of Hormuz deadline
“The war 23 years later on Iran has caused severe losses to the Iranian people, and the spillover and spread of the conflict have also affected the entire region,” the ministry said.
Trump on Saturday imposed a 48-hour deadline on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, threatening to destroy Iranian power plants otherwise.
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