The remarks were made by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun during a press conference in Beijing.
The statement came as tensions escalated across the region, with Iran launching what state broadcaster IRIB described as the “most intense and heaviest” missile barrage against Israel since the start of the war, prompting Israeli air defence systems to intercept incoming projectiles.
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The conflict has also spilled into the Gulf’s strategic waterways. A cargo ship was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global oil chokepoint — causing a fire and forcing the crew to evacuate, according to a maritime security agency. In a separate incident, a container ship was hit off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, though all crew members were reported safe.
Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted multiple Iranian missiles and drones targeting Prince Sultan Air Base and an oil field in the kingdom’s east, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed at least two missiles had been fired at a US base in Kuwait. Kuwaiti authorities have not yet commented on the claim.
Meanwhile, explosions were reported across the Qatari capital Doha, while Israeli strikes hit central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs as Israel continued operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities say nearly 760,000 people have been registered as displaced since the escalation began.Middle East flight status today: IndiGo, Air India, British Airways and other airlines adjust flight schedules as Gulf crisis deepens
In Washington, the US military said it had destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying boats near the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump warned of severe escalation if Tehran attempted to mine the vital shipping route.
Despite the widening conflict, Iranian officials sought to dismiss reports that Mojtaba Khamenei — Iran’s new supreme leader — had been injured. Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of Iran’s president and a government adviser, said on Telegram that Khamenei was “safe and sound” after reports suggested he had been wounded.
