BEIJING - China consistently supports “peace and stability” in the Gulf region, as well as the promotion of “good neighborliness and friendship,” Beijing’s foreign ministry told Rudaw on Friday. The statement came in response to a question about China’s potential role in strengthening ties between Iran and Gulf Arab states, amid apparent strains following the Middle East war.
Asked by Rudaw whether China is open to acting as a guarantor in any agreement aimed at reinforcing diplomatic ties between Iran and Gulf Arab states following the 39-day war, the ministry said that “China has consistently supported peace and stability in the Gulf region and supports Gulf countries in achieving good neighborliness and friendship.”
Beijing added that “the prolongation of war and escalation of conflict are not in the interests of any party,” expressing hope that “relevant parties will seize the opportunity for peace, bridge their differences through dialogue and consultation, and promote the early restoration of peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East.”
A day earlier, Iran’s ambassador to China, Abdul Reza Rahmani Fazli, said in a post on X that “given China’s influence and reliable position for all Gulf region countries, and considering the strategic partnership between Iran and China, both Iran and the regional countries can easily accept China’s guarantees and trust them.”
Later in the day, Tehran’s top diplomat in Beijing highlighted China’s role, alongside other countries, in helping bring an end to hostilities in the latest conflict.
“Numerous contacts took place between Iran and China at the levels of foreign ministers as well as the embassies of the two countries,” Rahmani Fazli said, adding that “through the cooperation we had with regional and friendly countries, including China, Russia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt, we were ultimately able to arrive at principles that strengthen the process of stability in the region and halt the war.”
The US and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran on February 28, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting on Tuesday that the operation - dubbed Operation Epic Fury - involved strikes on more than 13,000 targets across Iran, focusing on sites deemed to “pose an imminent threat.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported Friday that it carried out nearly 11,000 strikes targeting more than 6,700 components and 4,000 sites in Iran as part of its operation, dubbed Operation Roaring Lion.
In response, Tehran launched retaliatory attacks against Israel, alongside thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states. The latter has caused what some analysts have described as a rupture in relations, marked by deepening strategic distrust after years of attempted rapprochement.
A Pakistan-brokered, two-week ceasefire took effect on Tuesday to allow space for negotiations, which are set to begin in Islamabad on Saturday.