Iran to do ‘utmost’ to protect China’s citizens amid US-Israel attacks: FM 

The Iranian minister of foreign affairs has briefed senior members of China’s central committee and his counterpart, Wang Yi, promising to do everything to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in the country amid the war launched by the US and Israel.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the comment in a call on Monday with Wang, which focused on the situation in Iran as Tehran defended “itself at all costs”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said in a statement.

“Seyed Abbas Araghchi noted that the Iranian side will do its utmost to guarantee the safety and security of Chinese personnel and institutions,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Araghchi told Wang that Washington had “launched war against Iran for the second time during their ongoing negotiations”, despite the two sides having made “positive progress in the latest round of negotiations”.

The US and Israel launched their surprise attack on Iran on Saturday, just after Oman’s foreign minister – who had mediated the last round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran – said a peace deal was closer than ever.

“A peace deal is within our reach,” Badr al-Busaidi said in an interview with CBS News just hours before the attack on Iran started.

Tehran had “no choice but to defend itself”, Araghchi told his Chinese counterpart, adding that he hoped Beijing would play a role in preventing further escalation of the conflict in the region.

“China values the traditional friendship between China and Iran and supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national dignity and in upholding its legitimate and lawful rights and interests,” Wang told Araghchi, according to the ministry.

“China has urged the US and Israel to immediately cease military actions to avoid further escalation of tensions and prevent the conflict from expanding and spreading to the entire Middle East region,” Wang said.

The call between the ministers comes as China continues to maintain close relations with Iran and has worked in the past to end Tehran’s isolation on the world stage, including by granting Iran membership in BRICS+ – a bloc representing top emerging economies aiming to challenge the Western-led system – and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, according to the London-based think tank Chatham House.

Ahmed Aboudouh, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said Beijing and Tehran are comprehensive strategic partners, having signed a 25-year strategic agreement in 2021.

“China remains a lifeline for the Iranian economy” amid crushing sanctions, Aboudouh added.

More than 80 percent of Iran’s shipped oil in 2025 went to China, making up about 13.5 percent of all the oil China imported by sea, Aboudouh wrote in a recent briefing paper.