China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that “China has noted Iran's statement that its action taken was limited and was an act of self-defense".
In a phone call Monday, Wang condemned the alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate compound on April 1, supporting Iran's right to self-defense, calling it a violation of international law, according to the Xinhua state news agency.
On Saturday night, Iran launched over 350 drones and missiles towards Israel, 99 percent of which were intercepted by Israel and its allies including Jordan, the US, and the UK.
Wang also said China appreciated Iran's decision on not targeting regional and neighboring countries. He added that “China has noted Iran's statement that its action was limited and was an act of self-defense.”
Iran had handled "the situation well and spared the region further turmoil while safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity”, Wang said.
He blamed the escalations on the ongoing Gaza war, triggered by the Iran-backed Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 mostly civilians were murdered and 250 or more taken hostage.
Urging the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2728, China continues to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, citing the humanitarian disaster as grounds for intervention. Hamas claims over 32,000 people have died in the last six months.
However, with over 130 hostages still in Gaza, Israel has so far refused ceasefire demands, its war aims to rescue the hostages and to destroy the capabilities of Hamas.
It is the latest show of support from China which has recently carried out military exercises with Iran and remains Iran's biggest oil customer defying US sanctions on the export of Iranian oil. With huge construction projects from Chinese companies underway in Iran in addition to trade links, Iran is at the behest of Beijing which remains a key partner amid sanctions.
However, as the Middle East's allegiances shift, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Saudi Arabia was among the countries providing key intelligence about Iran’s plans to attack Israel, crucial to the success of the air defense measures that almost entirely prevented the attack.
Mohsen Sazegara, a US-based journalist and political activist, told Iran International that this is the first time Arab nations have supported Israel in a military operation against another Islamic country.