Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Beijing on Wednesday to address the escalating Middle East conflict, formally declaring recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes inside Iran to be illegal.
The high-level talks resulted in a joint statement from China and Russia condemning the military actions, which they stated violate international norms and actively undermine regional stability. During the meeting, Xi emphasized that a continuation of the military back-and-forth would severely worsen the volatile situation.
“A comprehensive ceasefire is of utmost urgency, resuming hostilities is even more inadvisable, and maintaining negotiations is particularly important,” Xi told Putin, according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
In tandem with the diplomatic summit, Moscow indicated a willingness to intervene to halt the fighting. Russian state media agency TASS reported that the Kremlin is prepared to serve as a mediator.
READ: ‘Crushing Blows’: Iran Threatens Global War After Trump Halts Strike
“Russia is ready to provide all possible assistance in resolving this conflict, and the parties involved are well aware of this,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in a statement to TASS.
The Sino-Russian summit coincides with a sharp escalation in rhetoric from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Wednesday, the paramilitary force warned it would expand the conflict “beyond the region” if the U.S. or Israel launch further attacks, stating it has not yet brought “all the capacities” of the country “into action.”
“But if aggression against Iran is repeated, the regional war that had been warned of will this time spread beyond the region, and our crushing blows will bring you to ruin in places you cannot even imagine,” the IRGC stated, adding, “We are men of war, and you will witness our power on the battlefield, not in hollow statements or on social media pages.”
These developments follow statements from President Trump, who told reporters on Tuesday that he had been “an hour away” from ordering a new wave of strikes on Iran on Monday evening. Trump stated he called off the operation at the request of several Persian Gulf allies who voiced optimism that a peace deal could be reached. However, Trump warned that if an agreement is not made, he could order major strikes “on a moment’s notice.”
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