Dialogue urged on Middle East

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, told Pompeo that relevant parties should return to dialogue as soon as possible.

In telephone talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Wang said the act by the US goes against the basic norms of international relations and will aggravate tension in the region.

"Military means will lead nowhere. Maximum pressure won't work, either. China urges the US to seek resolutions through dialogue instead of abusing force," Wang said. "China will continue to uphold an objective and just position and play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and security in the Gulf region of the Middle East."

In speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Wang noted that their countries, together with China, are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and therefore shoulder important responsibilities in safeguarding world peace and security.

Both Lavrov and Le Drian said their countries have similar positions with China on the flare-up of US-Iran conflicts, and stand ready to maintain close communication with China and play a positive role in preventing escalating tensions in the region.

Wang underscored the importance of implementing the Iranian nuclear agreement, which the US withdrew from in 2018, and expressed the hope that all parties will stay in close communication so as not to let the attack affect the implementation of the agreement.