Chinese Premier Li Qiang condemned US and Israeli attacks on Iran and renewed China’s opposition to unilateral US sanctions in a Monday meeting with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.
According to IRNA, Li said the strikes were “blatant aggression” that came during negotiations and without UN Security Council approval.
He also backed reviving the Islamabad Agreement and said Beijing would keep defending Iran’s legitimate rights in international forums. Aref was in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, for a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation prime ministers.
President Xi Jinping separately said the Middle East war — triggered by the late-February US-Israeli strikes on Iran — was causing serious losses and did not serve global interests, the Daily Star reported.
What 'blatant aggression' means
Li’s language goes beyond a routine call for restraint.
China is framing the strikes as a violation of Iranian sovereignty and the UN Charter because they occurred while Iran-US nuclear talks were underway and lacked explicit UN Security Council authorisation.
Beijing has consistently demanded an immediate halt to military operations, a return to diplomacy, and international opposition to unilateral military action.vienna.
Tehran Times and Mehr News Agency reported on
The conflict began after US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, including reported attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.
Chinese officials have also condemned the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and what Beijing describes as US-backed efforts to promote "regime change".
China is Iran’s most important economic partner and a major buyer of Iranian oil, but it has so far emphasized political, diplomatic, and economic backing rather than direct military intervention, as per Asia News Network.
Why it matters
For Iran: Beijing’s statement provides high-level diplomatic cover and reinforces Tehran’s argument that the strikes were "illegal aggression", according to Tehran Times.
For the US and Israel: It sharpens the diplomatic divide, with China aligning publicly with Iran and Russia against Washington and Jerusalem.
For energy markets: Continued Gulf-region fighting raises risks for oil shipping, regional infrastructure, and global energy prices — issues especially relevant to import-dependent economies, according to Asia News Network.
For multilateralism: China is using the UN-authorisation argument to challenge the legitimacy of unilateral military action and position itself as a defender of the existing international order.