'The acts of killing...': China issues first response after Israel kills top Iran officials including Ali Larijani

Issuing first response after the killing of Iran's top officials by Israel, China on Thursday (Mar 19) said that it is “unacceptable" and added it is it opposes “use of force.” Addressing a press conference, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian straightforwardly said, “We have always opposed the use of force in international relations. The acts of killing Iranian state leaders and attacking civilian targets are even more unacceptable.”

China's response came after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was seen talking on a call with Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz seated beside him. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorised the IDF to eliminate any senior Iranian official for whom the intelligence and operational circle has been closed, without the need for additional approval," Katz said while sharing the image. Netanyahu also shared a video from the high-security 'Kirya' command centre and said that he was ordering the killing of two "terrorist chieftains" — Iran's security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani. In the video, he was flanked by the heads of Mossad and the Air Force. Iran questioned if the UN and other international organisations are allowing the killing of leaders openly.

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In this week alone, Israel killed three top Iranian officials — security chief Ali Larijani, Basij forces chief Gholamreza Soleimani, and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib — marking some of the most high-profile deaths since the US-Israeli strikes began, following the earlier killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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China-US ties amid Iran war

Last week, on Trump's request of help in Strait of Hormuz, Chinese Embassy in Washington said that Beijing “wants an immediate cession of hostilities,” and that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply.” “As a sincere friend and strategic partner of Middle Eastern countries, China will continue to strengthen communication with relevant parties, including parties to the conflict, and play a constructive role for de-escalation and restoration of peace," China said.

China's stance in the Iran war may prove to be a deciding factor on Trump's Beijing visit scheduled for March last week. Trump has already hinted that it may be delayed for a month or so while expressing his desire to for Chinese help in securing the Strait of Hormuz. There's also an ongoing allegation that Beijing is secretly helping Iran by providing satellite technology. While the US president has maintained that he shares a good relationship with his Chinese counterpart, issues like Taiwan and now Iran have complicated ties between the two countries, at least for the time being.

(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)