Beijing, March 8 (ANI): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for closer cooperation between New Delhi and Beijing at a news conference on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress in Beijing.
Wang stressed the need for bilateral collaboration, saying “India and China must step up and support each other’s presidency of BRICS over the next two years.” Speaking amid heightened tensions from the US-Iran conflict in West Asia, he said a united approach by the two Asian powers could have a significant international impact. “Together, we can bring new hope to the Global South,” Wang said, suggesting coordinated BRICS leadership could stabilize developing nations.
Wang condemned the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, saying the escalation should “never have happened” and calling for an “immediate” end to hostilities and a return to diplomatic negotiations, according to Al Jazeera. He argued military force “will never resolve” the deep-rooted crisis and warned that reliance on force undermines the international order: “A strong fist does not mean strong reason. The world cannot return to the law of the jungle.”
The Foreign Minister said China firmly opposes efforts to destabilize the Iranian government, adding he believes there is no popular support for regime change in Iran and that such aims would further inflame regional tensions.
The remarks came as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the Israeli Air Force conducted targeted strikes on multiple Iranian military assets in Tehran. In a post on X, the IDF stated, “STRUCK: Several Fuel Storage Complexes Belonging to the IRGC in Tehran.” The military said the operation was “guided by IDF intelligence” and targeted locations identified as hubs for distributing resources to armed units, asserting the strike “significantly deepens the damage to the military infrastructure of the Iranian terrorist regime.”
US President Donald Trump, speaking on Air Force One, claimed the United States had wiped out Iran’s entire leadership and described the actions as removing a major “cancer.” When asked about responsibility for the bombing of an elementary girls’ school in Iran, Trump denied US involvement and blamed Iran, citing the inaccuracy of Iranian munitions: “No, I don’t believe so. Based on what I’ve seen that was done by Iran. We think it was done by Iran because they’re very inaccurate as you know with their munitions.”
Trump said, “We’re winning the war by a lot. We’ve decimated their whole evil empire. It’ll continue I’m sure for a little while. The war itself is going unbelievably. It’s as good as it can be.” He claimed extensive damage to Iranian forces: “We’ve wiped out their (Iranian) navy, 44 ships. We’ve wiped out their air force, every plane. We’ve wiped out most of their missiles… We’ve also hit their manufacturing areas where they make the missiles very hard. Their drone capacity is way down… including about every form of leadership you can have we’ve wiped out.”
On whether the campaign would follow an earlier six-week projection, Trump said, “I never project time, whatever it takes,” adding the Iranian military is “almost nonexistent.” He also claimed significant disruption to Iran’s missile and rocket capabilities.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, also on Air Force One, said a diplomatic deal remains possible but is ultimately up to the President. Referring to prior negotiations, Witkoff said Iranian negotiators were not amenable, noting they asserted an inalienable right to enrich and boasted of fuel and enrichment levels, suggesting Iran would need a change of attitude.
The current crisis followed a joint US-Israel military strike on February 28 on Iranian territory that reportedly resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, prompting a fierce response from Tehran. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, widening the conflict and increasing risks to civilians and expatriates. (ANI)
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