March 2, 2026, 1:07 p.m. ET
China’s foreign ministry said it was not alerted ahead of time of Israel and United States’ plan to strike parts of Iran over the weekend. The attack has killed over 500 people in Iran, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dozens of top officials and a Chinese citizen as tensions rise and airstrikes continue in the Middle East.
One Chinese citizen was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strikes that hit Tehran, the capital of Iran, and more than 3,000 were evacuated from the country, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said Monday. Ning added that China did not know about the strikes in advance.
In the days since the first strikes, which occurred Feb. 28, China and its leadership have repeatedly called for peace and a halt to military operations. Multiple posts on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, from Ning and China’s foreign ministry condemn the recent action.
“The attack and killing of Iran’s supreme leader is a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security. It tramples on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms in international relations. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it,” the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X on March 1. “We urge for an immediate stop to the military operations, no further escalation of the tense situation and joint effort to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East and the world at large.”
President Donald Trump said he launched the operation to eliminate “imminent threats” from Iran and prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran launched counterattacks on 27 U.S. bases and other targets across nine countries, Al Jazeera reported. Counterattacks occurred in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Ning and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have said the attacks by the U.S. and Israel “have no UN Security Council authorization and violate international law.”
“China is deeply concerned over the regional spillover,” Ning said in a post on X on March 2. “The sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the Gulf states should likewise be fully respected.”
Trump has warned that airstrikes targeting Iran’s ballistic missile program and navy could continue for weeks and American casualties are to be expected. Four American service members have been killed and several more seriously injured in the conflict so far.
Contributing: Reuters; Julia Gomez, Zac Anderson, Kim Hjelmgaard, and BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.



















