China Offers To Mediate As US–Israel–Iran War Intensifies; India Calls For Immediate De-escalation
New Delhi: As the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran continues to escalate across the Middle East, China has stepped forward offering to mediate between the sides, echoing India’s call for an urgent diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing is ready to play a constructive role in easing tensions and encouraging dialogue. Stressing the need for restraint, China warned that the widening conflict would only deepen instability across the region and harm civilians.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been actively reaching out to leaders across the Gulf. According to the Foreign Ministry, Wang held discussions with several regional counterparts, including UAE Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Beijing assured the UAE of its support in safeguarding national security and reiterated its backing for diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
In a statement posted on X, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that a spillover of the war would benefit no one and that ordinary people would suffer the most. China also confirmed that it plans to send a special envoy to push for peace negotiations.
Wang Yi also spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, praising Riyadh’s restraint despite drone attacks targeting the strategic Ras Tanura oil refinery. China emphasised that a broader conflict affecting Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations was not something it wanted to see.
Apart from Gulf leaders, Wang also held discussions with counterparts in Russia, Oman and France, while maintaining contact with both Iran and Israel as Beijing attempts to encourage diplomatic engagement.
China has also begun evacuating its nationals from Iran. Authorities confirmed that more than 3,000 Chinese citizens have already been safely evacuated amid the escalating hostilities.
Meanwhile, India has reiterated its concern over the growing humanitarian toll of the war. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 1,000 people have been killed so far, including at least 181 children, while another 5,000 have been injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking during a joint press conference with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, stressed that military confrontation cannot resolve global disputes.
“India believes in the rule of law. Military conflict cannot solve any issue, whether in Ukraine or West Asia,” he said.
The war began after coordinated US-Israel airstrikes on February 28 targeted multiple locations in Iran, including the capital Tehran. The strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliatory attacks by Tehran on US bases, embassies and critical infrastructure across the region.
The conflict has since spread beyond Iran and Israel, with drone strikes reported in several neighbouring countries and tensions rising across the Gulf.
The war also came close to India’s maritime neighbourhood when an Iranian naval vessel, the IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. At least 87 sailors were killed in the attack and dozens remain missing.
Iran criticised the United States for targeting the ship while it was a “guest of India”. However, New Delhi later clarified that the vessel’s official visit to India had ended on February 25, three days before the conflict began.
On the sixth day of fighting, both sides continued to exchange missile and drone attacks. Iranian media reported fresh explosions in Tehran, while Israel activated air raid sirens in several areas, including Tel Aviv, following incoming missile alerts.
With tensions showing little sign of easing, global powers including China and India are increasingly pushing for diplomacy to prevent the war from spiralling into a wider regional conflict.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
