Iran Archives - Friends of Socialist China

Xi Jinping proposes four-point plan to safeguard and promote Middle East peace and stability

Chinese President Xi Jinping has advanced four propositions aimed at safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.

He outlined these at an April 14 meeting in Beijing with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates, UAE).

Xi Jinping stressed China’s principled position of promoting peace and facilitating talks and reiterated his country’s readiness to continue playing a constructive role in this regard. His four-point proposition stresses:

Stay committed to the principle of peaceful coexistence. The Gulf states in the Middle East are close neighbours that cannot move away. It’s important to support the Gulf states in improving their ties, work to build a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security architecture of the Middle East and the Gulf region, and consolidate the foundation for peaceful coexistence.

Stay committed to the principle of national sovereignty. Sovereignty serves as a foundation for all countries, especially developing countries, to survive and thrive, and it must not be violated.

Stay committed to the principle of international rule of law. We should safeguard the authority of international rule of law, reject selective application, and prevent the world from returning to the law of the jungle. It is important to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Stay committed to a balanced approach to development and security. Security is a prerequisite for development and development serves as a safeguard of security.

The previous day, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had met with the Special Envoy of the UAE President to China Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, who was accompanying Al Nahyan.

Also on April 13, Wang Yi had a phone call with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

Dar gave a comprehensive briefing on Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Iran and the United States and expressed appreciation for China’s endeavours to promote peace. Pakistan stands ready to maintain close communication and coordination with China and jointly play a positive role in realising peace in the region.

Wang reiterated China’s principled position and commended Pakistan for facilitating a temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran and for hosting the Islamabad talks, noting that Pakistan has played a fair and balanced mediating role. He said that the current ceasefire remains highly fragile and the regional situation is at a critical turning point. The pressing priority is to do everything possible to prevent the resumption of hostilities and sustain the hard-won momentum of the ceasefire. The international community should step up efforts to promote peace talks and unequivocally oppose any actions that undermine the ceasefire and escalate confrontation. The Five-Point Initiative of China and Pakistan for Restoring Peace and Stability in the Gulf and Middle East Region reflects the consensus of the international community on promoting peace and can continue to serve as a direction for efforts toward resolving the issue. The Chinese side is pleased to see Pakistan play a greater role and stands ready to work with Pakistan and the rest of the international community to continue making positive contributions to the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East.

China and the Iran war: creating an environment for peace

In the following article, which was originally published in the Morning Star, Jenny Clegg addresses some of the frequently raised questions regarding China’s stand and role in the context of the current US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

She notes that one should be clear that, “Donald Trump’s strategy has China in its sights. The 2025 US National Security Strategy with its focus on the western hemisphere was thought to shift US strategy from the IndoPacific — in fact the “Donroe” block on Chinese investment in Latin America specifically aimed to shatter the BRICS.”

The current Israeli-US actions, Jenny argues, are dictated by the fact that, “their plans for regional and global hegemony respectively were on the line.

“In June 2025, a new phase of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) opened with the inauguration of the Iran-China Railway. This direct connection between Iran and central Asia and China offers an alternative economic corridor for oil and mineral exports to navigate around US sanctions and maritime bottlenecks such as the Malacca Straits… Coming onto the horizon now was a new artery between the fast-growing and modernising regions of the Middle East/west Asia and south-east Asia linked by high-speed rail through Western China. The 21st century was being remade.”

In the current situation, she notes, China has been far from inactive: “Following the UN security council failure to rule Trump’s war as illegal, instead placing all the blame on Iran, China doubled down on diplomacy. A special envoy was sent to the region while Foreign Minister Wang Yi made multiple phone calls… China then met with Pakistan which had for its part been conferring with Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Together they produced a five-point peace plan covering the cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, restoration of maritime security and the primacy of international law.”

Looking at the ongoing reconfiguration of the regional geopolitical architecture, Jenny observes: “The Gulf states’ bargain, exchanging security for US bases and huge arms sales, has put them in the firing line… with the US in general decline, new developments have also been influencing the reshaping of the region — the Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement brokered by China; the reconciliation between the Palestine groups again mediated by the Chinese, and now with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, all members of the BRI, seeking to take greater responsibility for peace.”

China’s peace diplomacy aids defeat of US imperialism

In what cannot but be described as a humiliating climbdown and significant defeat for US imperialism, on the evening of April 7, barely minutes before his self-set deadline for unleashing a genocide of unprecedented savagery and barbarism aimed at wiping out the millennia long Iranian civilisation, US President Donald Trump suddenly announced that he had accepted a Pakistani proposal for a two-week ceasefire, with negotiations between the two main protagonists set to begin in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on April 10.

After a month of bestial aggression characterised from the first day by the most egregious war crimes, including the massacre of more than 170 people, the majority of them little girls, in the bombing of a school, along with the murder of the religious and political supreme leader of the Iranian people together with numerous members of his family as well as leading political figures of the country; after a rising crescendo of ever more deranged and psychotic threats of a kind not publicly uttered by a head of state since Adolf Hitler, albeit the nazi leader refrained from using such profane language in public, the US mafia boss performed a volte face and declared that Iran’s 10-point peace proposal, which had been on the table since the start of the aggression, constituted a “workable basis on which to negotiate.”

According to Iran’s Press TV, these ten points are as follows:

No new aggression against Iran
Continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz
Acceptance of (uranium) enrichment
Removal of all primary sanctions
Removal of all secondary sanctions
Termination of all UN Security Council resolutions
Termination of all (International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA) Board of Governors resolutions
Payment of compensation to Iran
Withdrawal of US combat forces from the region
Cessation of war on all fronts, including against the heroic Islamic Resistance of Lebanon

Even on the reasonable assumption that any serious negotiation is unlikely to see any side fully realise all its objectives, and irrespective of what the future holds, this climbdown by Trump represents a humiliation for the United States on a scale not seen since the defeats inflicted by the heroic peoples of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia half a century ago.

A statement from Iran’s National Security Council said:

“On the first day, when the criminal enemies of Iran began this oppressive war, they imagined they would succeed in complete military dominance over Iran in a short time and force Iran to surrender by creating political and social instability. They thought Iran’s missile and drone fire would be quickly extinguished and did not believe that Iran could deliver such a powerful response beyond its borders and across the entire region…

“Iran and the Resistance almost completely destroyed the American military machine in the region; they dealt crushing and profound blows to the vast infrastructure and facilities that the enemy had built and stationed around the region over the years for this war against Iran. In regional dimensions, they imposed extensive casualties on the criminal American army, and within the occupied territories, they delivered heavy and shattering blows to the enemy’s forces, infrastructure, facilities, and assets…

“Now, the honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan has informed Iran that the American side, despite all outward threats, has accepted these principles as the basis for negotiations and has surrendered to the will of the Iranian nation. Accordingly, at the highest level, it has been decided that Iran will engage in negotiations in Islamabad with the American side for a period of two weeks, based solely on these principles. It is emphasised that this does not mean the end of the war; Iran will only accept the termination of the war once the details—given the acceptance of Iran’s preferred principles in the 10-point plan—are finalised in the negotiations…

“If the enemy’s surrender on the battlefield is transformed into a decisive political achievement in the negotiations, we will celebrate this massive historical victory together; otherwise, we will fight side-by-side on the battlefield until all the demands of the Iranian nation are met. Our hands are on the trigger, and the moment the slightest error is committed by the enemy, it will be responded to with full power.”

China’s solidarity with Venezuela, Iran and Cuba

The text below is an edited version of a talk given by Alex C during a launch event for the book “China Changes Everything” held at the SHAPE (Self Help for African People Everywhere) Center in Houston and online on March 28, 2026.

The speech observes that, as the US escalates its wars of aggression against the Global South – invading Venezuela, bombing Iran and tightening its stranglehold on Cuba – the People’s Republic of China has stood firmly alongside the peoples under attack. Alex C traces China’s concrete solidarity with three revolutionary nations on the frontlines of the struggle against imperialism. In Venezuela, China defended Maduro’s government against US-backed coup attempts, and provided critical economic assistance and diplomatic support.

In Iran, China has been a lifeline, purchasing Iranian oil to offset the impact of sanctions, supplying military components, and building a comprehensive strategic partnership that has fundamentally undermined Washington’s efforts to economically strangle the Islamic Republic.

In Cuba, China has contributed $80 million toward the island’s electrical grid, forgiven substantial debt, and partnered with Havana on an ambitious transition to renewable energy.

Drawing on the lessons of Lenin and Mao, the speech reminds us that “nations which embrace revolutionary socialism can and will endure the onslaught of imperialism” – and calls on those of us in the imperial core to stand with the anti-imperialist camp.

The text of the speech first appeared on Workers World. The text is followed by a video of the full launch event.

Venezuela — like China, Iran, Cuba and so many other countries under siege by the United States — is one of many links in the chain of international proletarian revolution. To paraphrase China’s Chairman Mao Zedong, the Venezuelan people stood up in 1999, proclaiming that from that day forth, they would be the masters of Venezuela’s destiny, not international capital.

China wants an end to the criminal war on Iran

We are pleased to republish below an editorial from the Global Times calling on the US and Israel to immediately end their criminal aggression against Iran, before a conflict that “should never have happened” slides beyond all control.

The editorial’s assessment is damning. The US government’s prediction of a “four to five week” war has already been proven wrong, and the conflict’s geography has expanded far beyond its original scope – from the Persian Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean, from the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab el-Mandeb. US assets in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain have all come under attack. Oil prices have surged past $112 a barrel. The risk of global recession is rising.

Most alarming, the editorial argues, is the erosion of limits on targets, with the US and Israel showing no restraint in their attacks on key civilian infrastructure, including oil refineries, desalination plants and power stations.

The editorial identifies a narrow window for peace: both the US and Iran have previously signalled openness to negotiation. China meanwhile has called for ceasefire from the first day and has been working consistently at the level of diplomacy towards that end. “War has no winners, only irreparable harm.”

It has now been a full month since the US and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28. Far from achieving their so-called “intended objectives,” this conflict, which was initiated by the US and Israel without justification amid negotiations, has instead edged steadily toward the brink of losing control. Although it is uncertain how this conflict will end, its shock to geopolitics and the global order is already profound. What is urgently needed now is to prevent this conflict – one that should never have happened – from sliding into the abyss of complete loss of control.

China and Pakistan work jointly for peace

China and Pakistan have jointly launched a five-point peace initiative aimed at ending the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.

The move came as the centrepiece of a March 31 visit to Beijing by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

At their meeting, Wang said that the mediation efforts of the Pakistani side regarding the conflict are in the common interests of all parties. China supports and looks forward to Pakistan playing a unique and important role in easing the situation and resuming peace talks. China is willing to make joint efforts with Pakistan to end the hostilities as soon as possible, create opportunities for peace and open the window for peace talks.

On bilateral ties, Wang said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, calling on both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and constantly advance the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

For his part, Dar said the Pakistan-China friendship is precious and deeply rooted in people’s hearts, adding that Pakistan is willing to work with China to promote the continuous development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. He thanked China for supporting Pakistan’s mediation of the situation in Iran, adding that the current conflict has disrupted international energy supplies and caused heavy damage to developing countries.

Dar had earlier visited China, January 3-5. The two foreign ministers also held phone conversations on March 10 and March 27.

The five-point initiative calls for:

Immediate Cessation of Hostilities. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.

Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.

Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets and to fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.

Security of shipping lanes. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.

Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the UN, and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realising lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law.

At a Chinese Foreign Ministry press conference on April 1, spokesperson Mao Ning said that the initiative is open and all countries and international organisations are welcome to respond to and participate in it.

The claws of a dying beast: US imperialism’s existential quagmire

As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month, a striking vulnerability has emerged that the mainstream media has largely chosen to ignore: the Pentagon’s ability to replenish its rapidly depleting weapons stockpiles is now to a significant degree dependent on China’s rare earth exports, which are essential to everything from jet engine coatings to precision guidance systems. Alternative supply chains are three to five years away at best. China’s leading position in critical minerals processing gives important leverage in any confrontation with Washington.

In the following article, Ileana Chan, Director and Producer at Empire Watch, illuminates this contradiction, situating the criminal war on Iran within the broader imperial logic of a system that is simultaneously dependent on China and desperate to contain it – recognising that China will have surpassed the West in most economic and technological measures within the coming years, and calculating that the window for action is closing.

Ileana highlights the role of China’s steady, principled diplomacy as a counterpoint to US belligerence – a model of sovereignty, development and mutual respect that meets the needs of a rising Global South.

While we grieve for lives lost today and those to come, we know the Global South is building something new. A world defined not by bombastic slogans, but by the steady, even-keeled diplomacy China exemplifies, where sovereignty, development, and mutual respect are paramount.

This article was first published on the Empire Watch Patreon.

The latest US-Israeli war on Iran exposes the desperate belligerence of an empire in inevitable freefall.

It is a war decades in the making, completely aligned with Washington’s geopolitical maneuvering to perpetuate a unipolar world. This empire demands fealty from its vassal states and allies, without being able to articulate a rational strategy and objective. It claims self-defense while committing war crimes and breaking international law with impunity. Yet, somehow, behind the shock and awe tactics and tired propaganda tropes, the US seems utterly unprepared for the reality it has unleashed.

China condemns US and Israeli atrocities at UN Human Rights Council

On March 27, at the request of Iran, China and Cuba, the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, held an urgent debate on the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran.

Chinese Ambassador Jia Guide stated that the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran, which claimed the lives of 168 innocent girls, are an act that crosses the line of human morality, the worst violation of human rights, and a blatant contempt of international humanitarian law. China is deeply shocked by the attack, strongly condemns it, and expresses its sympathies for the families of the victims.

The ambassador pointed out that the United States and Israel launched the attack on Iran without the authorisation of the UN Security Council, killed the leaders of Iran, seriously violated the human rights of the Iranian people, and triggered an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, forcibly dragging regional countries into the fray.

The following article was originally published on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland.

On March 27, at the request of Iran, China and Cuba, the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council held an urgent debate on the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran. Ambassador Jia Guide, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, attended and elaborated on China’s position.

Ambassador Jia Guide stated that the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran, which claimed the lives of 168 innocent girls, are an act that crosses the line of human morality, the worst violation of human rights, and a blatant contempt of international humanitarian law. China is deeply shocked by the attack, strongly condemns it, and expresses our sympathies for the families of the victims.

Ambassador Jia pointed out that the United States and Israel launched the attack on Iran without the authorization of the UN Security Council, which is the root cause of this tragedy. The US and Israel killed the leaders of Iran, seriously violated the human rights of the Iranian people, and triggered an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, forcibly dragging regional countries into the fray. The sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all countries should be fully respected. China strongly condemns all acts that violate international law and launch indiscriminate attacks on civilian and non-military targets.

Ambassador Jia stressed that all hotspot issues should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, and not by the use of force. All parties must seize every opportunity for peace, launch the peace process in good faith as soon as possible, take practical actions to protect the basic human rights of people in the region, and safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East.

Wang Yi continues China’s work for peace

China is continuing its active work for peace and for an end to the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.

Between March 24-27, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held telephone discussions with five of his counterparts in this regard.

On March 24, he spoke again with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, following their call on March 2.

Araghchi briefed Wang on the latest developments in the regional situation. Thanking China for providing emergency humanitarian assistance, he said the Iranian people are more united in resisting foreign aggression and safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and independence.

Iran is committed to achieving a comprehensive end to the war, rather than merely a temporary ceasefire, Araghchi said. The Strait of Hormuz is open to all and ships can pass safely, but countries at war with Iran are not under consideration, he said.

He expressed the hope that measures taken by all parties would help de-escalate the situation rather than intensify the conflict, expecting China to continue playing a positive role in promoting peace and ending the war.

The following day, Wang spoke again with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty following their call on March 12.

Wang said that both China and Egypt are responsible countries. They both oppose military operations without authorizstion from the UN Security Council, oppose attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, and do not approve of affecting the Gulf countries.

The situation in the Middle East is changing rapidly, Wang said, citing that both the United States and Iran are signalling their readiness to negotiate. A glimmer of hope for peace has emerged, he added.

Stressing that as long as there is dialogue, there is hope for peace, Wang said that the actions of the Security Council should help ease the situation and promote dialogue and help prevent the expansion of the war instead of giving a pass to the use of force.

Noting that China supports Egypt in continuing to play a mediating role in promoting the resumption of peace talks and the cessation of the war, Wang said that China is also willing to continue to make constructive efforts for this purpose.

The same day, Wang also had a call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fida and said that China supports countries in the Middle East in maintaining calm and addressing disputes and differences through dialogue.

The right and wrong of the conflict in the Middle East are clear, and the international community should adopt an objective and impartial position. China supports countries in the region in remaining calm and responding rationally to the current situation from a long-term perspective based on fundamental interests. China also supports Türkiye in playing a constructive role in promoting the resumption of negotiations.

For his part, Fidan said that Türkiye and China are highly consistent in their positions regarding the current situation in the Middle East, and both countries oppose launching military attacks without authorisation from the UN Security Council and oppose further escalation of the conflict.

China has always been committed to maintaining regional and world peace, and it is believed that China will continue to play an important role, he added.

Narratives seeking to smear China by exploiting the US-Israel-Iran conflict should stop

As the criminal US-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week, a new front has opened in the information space. Alongside the bombs and missiles, a set of coordinated Western narratives has emerged targeting China: claiming that Beijing has suffered a strategic failure, that it bears some responsibility for the conflict, or that it hopes to benefit in some way from the carnage. The following editorial from Global Times systematically dismantles all three claims.

The reality is straightforward. China is not a party to this conflict. It did not authorise it, did not seek it, and has nothing to gain from it. What China has done is speak up clearly for international law, denounce illegal aggression, dispatch its special envoy to the region, call for respect for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the civilian victims of the war – including the 175 killed in the US bombing of a girls’ school in Minab. As the editorial puts it with blunt precision: “Aside from the Western military-industrial complex profiting from arms sales, there are no winners in this war.”

These narratives targeting China are designed to shift blame, suppress calls for peace, and provide cover for aggression.

The military conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran has entered its third week, with the situation remaining complex and tense. Without authorization from the UN Security Council, the US and Israel launched attacks and killed Iran’s supreme leader, deliberately provoking a war against Iran. China is not a party to this conflict. However, some Western narratives have seized the opportunity to fabricate claims aimed at discrediting China. These narratives broadly fall into three categories: the so-called “China failure” narrative, the “China responsibility” narrative, and the “China winner” narrative. Such absurd claims are driven by ulterior motives and thinly veiled political self-interest.

The so-called “China failure” narrative hypes that China’s strategy of turning Iran into a key regional pillar is on the verge of collapse. The facts are clear: China has never been involved in this conflict, nor has it bet on any side. The conflict is the result of unilateral military actions by the US and Israel and has nothing to do with China’s diplomatic or economic strategies. China has actively expanded exchanges and cooperation with various countries including the Middle Eastern states based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. It does not engage in military alliances, bloc confrontation, or proxy wars. Its influence in the Middle East is built on deep and extensive cooperation, which gives it resilience even amid conflict. Where, then, is the so-called “strategic failure”?

Such claims merely reflect a power-politics mind-set obsessed with staking out spheres of influence, one that fails to understand the values of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit in China’s foreign policy.

China’s role in supporting Iran

The following comment on the various ways in which China has been supporting Iran in defending its sovereignty has been collectively drafted by the members of the Friends of Socialist China US committee.

Increasingly countries are able to resist U.S. imperialism’s most violent, unpredictable attacks and overwhelming firepower by sharing simple technology, resisting U.S. sanctions and increasing trade with each other.

Iran has made stunning progress in self-defense capability by developing many thousands of relatively low tech, far less expensive drones. The Pentagon and the Zionist military is forced to burn through precious supplies of fabulously expensive and complex interceptor missiles in an effort to block barrages of Iranian drones that are very effective.

Until recently the U.S. had a chokehold on many forms of technology. Those days are past.

Iran has acquired significant and strategic technological, military, and surveillance capability from China, strengthening its defense capabilities and internal security infrastructure. Key areas include missile components, air defense systems, drone technology, AI-enabled surveillance, and satellite navigation via the Beidou system to track U.S. forces. This boosts Iran’s operational capabilities.

Although satellites are now precise enough to read the license on a car from space, all of the maps available commercially are clouded over on U.S. bases and important industrial and military sites. Only the Pentagon had full access or the ability to read in real time tens of thousands of complex images.

Real-Time Intelligence Sharing:

But once technology exists it is impossible to keep it in a box.

China has utilized its fleet of 500+ satellites to provide the world with constant SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) and terrain mapping. This support helps Iran track US naval movements in the Persian Gulf in real-time.

Chinese commercial satellite firms, notably MizarVision, have publicly released high-resolution, AI-annotated, satellite images of U.S. military bases and assets throughout West Asia.

The company specialises in generating geospatial intelligence. The images appear in near-real time. So U.S. aircraft, naval vessels, and air defense systems (such as Patriot and THAAD systems) are visible in locations including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Conventional armed forces are now vulnerable to observation from hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit. A number of the facilities and assets posted by MizarVision were subsequently targeted by Iran in missile and drone strikes, which were launched after the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on 28 February.

The deluge of material shows how difficult it has become to hide military assets..

MizarVision’s account on X media site made its first post on 24 February, four days before the U.S. launched their sneak attack.

This now publicly accessible imagery can be downloaded almost immediately, offering a cheap source of real-time intelligence. The images of U.S. bases, naval groups and air defence systems, are all labelled and geolocated using artificial intelligence.

Interview: Understanding China’s foreign policy

In the video embedded below, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez joins Roger McKenzie for a detailed exploration of China’s foreign policy, its domestic progress, and the geopolitical strategies shaping the 21st century. The two discuss the importance of understanding China’s rise, the global shift towards multipolarity, and the need for solidarity against imperialist pressures.

Some of the key ideas put forward include:

• China’s foreign policy rests on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, first formulated by Zhou Enlai in 1954 and adopted at the Bandung Conference the following year. These principles – mutual respect for sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence – elevate what Lenin conceived as a tactical necessity into a principled theoretical framework. The core insight is that countries with fundamentally different social systems can and must coexist, and that all non-imperialist countries share a common interest in opposing domination and pursuing their own development paths. Today these principles find expression in China’s vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, underpinned by the Belt and Road Initiative, BRICS (which now surpasses the G7 in GDP, population and landmass), the SCO, and the G77. Multipolarity – a negotiated international order in which no single power can impose its will – is not only urgently needed to address existential challenges like climate change and nuclear war, but is, as Samir Amin argued, the necessary framework for the possible overcoming of capitalism itself.

• The United States is not accepting this shift passively. Brzezinski identified the nightmare scenario decades ago: a grand coalition of China, Russia and Iran. US responses have included proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, military encirclement of China through AUKUS and Pacific buildups, unconditional support for Israel, tariff wars, semiconductor controls, the kidnapping of president Maduro, the suffocation of Cuba, the reassertion of the Monroe Doctrine, and now open war on Iran. The US is losing economic and technological primacy but retains overwhelming military power, and the danger is precisely that of a declining empire reaching for military solutions.

• The war on Iran must be understood in this context. It is not about nuclear weapons – nobody believes that. It is not about women’s rights – women’s rights are improving in Iran and deteriorating in the West. It is a criminal attack, carried out by presidential decree without reference to international law or domestic legal process, against a sovereign state that supports Palestinian resistance, maintains public ownership of its energy resources, and is a key node in the multipolar project – a crucial link in the Belt and Road, a member of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and an important energy partner for China. The attack is simultaneously an attempt to seize control of energy flows, to develop strategic chokepoints that could be used against China in a hot war, and to destroy the axis of resistance across West Asia. It is the empire striking back.

• China is supporting Iran to the best of its abilities – diplomatically, economically, and with military cooperation – but does not have the capacity to project military power into the region. Nonetheless, Iran is a fiercely independent country with formidable military capabilities. The US and Israel will not achieve their objectives: they will not install a puppet regime, will not destroy the Palestinian resistance, and will not seize Iran’s strategic position.

• The task for progressive forces in the West is to oppose the war on Iran, oppose the New Cold War on China and the propaganda war that sustains it, and build the broadest possible united front against imperialism, racism and neoliberalism. We are not the vanguard – that role belongs to the socialist countries and the peoples under direct attack. But everyone has a part to play, and we must do what we can to build solidarity and make war untenable for the imperialists.

China chokehold: Long-term goal of the US war on Iran

Why is the United States waging war on Iran? The official justifications shift by the day – nuclear weapons, Israeli security, bringing “democracy” – but CJ Atkins, writing in People’s World, cuts through the noise to identify a deeper strategic logic.

Ironically, it has fallen to the far-right, pro-Trump, Falun Gong-affiliated Epoch Times to spell it out most clearly. The war on Iran, like the January invasion of Venezuela, is to a considerable degree a move against China. Iran supplied 13.4 percent of China’s seaborne oil imports last year, Venezuela a further 4.5 percent. Combined with Russia, sanctioned suppliers accounted for a third of China’s entire crude import mix in 2024. Neutralising Iran – and with it, threatening Chinese access to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 37.7 percent of China’s crude oil flows – is a bid to put Beijing in an energy chokehold.

Atkins writes: “Iran sits alongside that chokepoint and, as recent days have made abundantly clear, is capable of threatening access to it. It is the one independent actor in the region that can seriously complicate shipping through the whole corridor. That’s a power the U.S. government would prefer to have in its own hands.”

As such, the criminal aggression against Iran and Venezuela forms part of the US-led long-term campaign of containment and encirclement of the People’s Republic of China.

This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the deeper architecture of US imperialism’s current offensive. It makes clear that the wars on Iran and Venezuela are not separate conflicts but coordinated moves in a single grand strategy: not only a war on Tehran or Caracas, but a war on the multipolar trajectory. Such a strategy must be resolutely opposed.

There’s an angle to the Iran War that the cable news anchors, retired generals-turned-commentators, and corporate-owned newspapers are barely talking about, if at all. They report on the shifting justifications proffered by Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, or Donald Trump, but few in the press are doing anything to illuminate the bigger picture.

The United States isn’t attacking Iran simply because of Tehran’s nuclear program, or out of concern for the welfare of the Iranian people, or even purely for Israel’s security. The Trump administration’s decision to launch its war was motivated by a goal that goes well beyond nuclear non-proliferation. Nor is the war a case of Tel Aviv telling Washington what to do, regardless of what some of Netanyahu’s most intense critics want to believe.

It has fallen to the far-right, anti-communist outlet The Epoch Times—the newspaper associated with the Falun Gong cult—to offer the truth about what the U.S. is up to. “A key strategic dimension of the Iran conflict,” wrote James Gorrie, a regular columnist for the pro-Trump paper in its March 13 issue, “involves Washington’s efforts to control and even restrict Iranian oil flows to China.”

China affirms Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and pledges humanitarian assistance

China’s Ambassador to the United Nations Fu Cong made an important statement on his country’s position at a March 13 United Nations Security Council briefing on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Fu began by stating that: “China has just stated its position about the 1737 Committee and its opposition to this meeting and does not intend to comment on the work of the Committee itself. However, as a member of the Security Council, China wishes to emphasise the following points regarding the current situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear issue and the way forward.”

The 1737 Committee was established following the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 on December 23, 2006, which imposed sanctions on Iran.

Having stated this principled opposition, Fu made four key points as follow:

The use of force is not the right way to resolve international disputes. Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected. The United States and Israel should immediately stop their military operations, refrain from attacking Iranian nuclear facilities under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, avoid further escalation, and prevent the conflict from spreading across the entire Middle East.

The Iranian nuclear issue should ultimately return to the track of a political and diplomatic solution. It was the United States unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) that triggered the Iranian nuclear crisis. The United States has also disregarded its own credibility and, together with Israel, twice resorted to the use of force against Iran during the negotiations, causing diplomatic efforts to collapse. Regarding the root cause of the Iranian nuclear crisis, the United States actions violate international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China strongly condemns this. Relevant European countries should stop fuelling tensions and instead play a constructive role in easing the situation.

Fairness and justice must be upheld, and Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, as a State Party to the Treaty on the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), must be effectively protected. Iran has repeatedly reaffirmed that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons. Even after its nuclear facilities were attacked, Iran has continued cooperating with the IAEA and engaged in multiple rounds of professional and pragmatic talks with the United States in a constructive spirit. Iran’s sincerity should be taken seriously.

Any action by the Security Council should be aimed at easing tensions and preserving long-term peace and stability in the Middle East. It must be fair and impartial, and must not become a tool for sanctions, pressure, or the political agenda of any individual state. The Security Council should help build trust among parties, bridge differences, and create favourable conditions for the resumption of negotiations, ensuring that the dialogue process can proceed smoothly and effectively in an environment free from the threat of force. Relevant countries should stop engaging in political manipulation at the Security Council.

Meanwhile, on March 17, at a regular press conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that China has decided to offer emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq in the hope of easing the humanitarian plight faced by local people.

CGTN, China’s foreign language television service, put the following question to Lin:

China extends support to bereaved parents of Iranian schoolgirls

Following the bestial war crime committed by the United States on February 28, when it murdered at least 175 civilians, the overwhelming majority of them young schoolgirls, in its missile attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern Iranian town of Minab, the Red Cross Society of China has decided to provide the Red Crescent Society of Iran with US$200,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance as special funds to support the bereaved parents.

Announcing the measure at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s March 13 press conference in Beijing, in response to a question from the Beijing Youth Daily, spokesperson Guo Jiakun added:

“China stands ready to continue providing necessary assistance to Iran in a humanitarian spirit to help the Iranian people get through this difficult time.”

Their exchange reads as follows:

Beijing Youth Daily: The US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28. Media reports say that air strikes on Shajarah Tayyebeh primary school in Iran’s Hormozgan province killed over 160 girls. Is China considering providing humanitarian assistance to Iran?

Guo Jiakun: China condemns all indiscriminate attacks against civilians and non-military targets. Attacks on schools and harm to the children, in particular, seriously violate the international humanitarian law and breach the fundamental principles of human conscience. We deeply mourn for the students from Shajarah Tayyebeh primary school in Iran’s Hormozgan province and extend sincere sympathies to their families. The Red Cross Society of China has decided to provide the Red Crescent Society of Iran with US$200,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance as special funds to support the bereaved parents. China stands ready to continue providing necessary assistance to Iran in a humanitarian spirit to help the Iranian people get through this difficult time.

The full press conference can be read here. A related report was carried by the Xinhua News Agency.

Palestine Chronicle: China condemns US-Israeli aggression, backs Tehran’s sovereignty

In the following article, originally published on March 6, the staff of Palestine Chronicle summarise diplomatic responses to date by the People’s Republic of China to the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.

It notes that that day Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing supports Tehran in defending its sovereignty and rights:

“China opposes the US and Israel launching military strikes against Iran in violation of international law.”

She added that: “We support Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national dignity and in upholding its legitimate and lawful rights and interests.”

Palestine Chronicle adds that: “Chinese state media and diplomatic officials have repeatedly emphasised that the strikes were carried out without authorisation from the United Nations Security Council, a point Beijing views as a clear violation of international norms.”

The article also refers to Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s related conversations with regional ministers, the most recent of which were with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, adding that:

“China’s UN mission has repeatedly stressed that sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected under international law, and that continued strikes could trigger unpredictable consequences across the Middle East.”

The article was published prior to Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s March 8 press conference in the margins of the annual session of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC).

China Backs Iran’s Sovereignty

China has strongly condemned the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran, warning that the attacks violate international law and threaten to escalate the conflict across the Middle East.

Speaking during a press briefing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing supports Tehran in defending its sovereignty and rights.

While the US pursues war and hegemony, China pursues peace and progress

On Friday 6 March, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez appeared on the Empire Watch live stream, hosted by Ileana Chan, Sara Vivacqua and João Amorim.

The wide-ranging conversation includes detailed discussion on the criminal US-Israeli war on Iran; how that war is reshaping the multipolar world order; China’s vision of peaceful coexistence; a comparison of the US and China’s military posture; China’s 15th Five-Year Plan; its newly-announced GDP growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent; and the Kenyan state’s illegal detention and torture of Comrade Booker Ngesa Omole.

The full stream is embedded below, followed by a selection of thematic extracts.

China’s diplomacy condemns aggression and pushes for peace

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has repeated his country’s condemnation of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and stressed that China stands for peace in a number of diplomatic exchanges.

Following his March 1 phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the following day Wang spoke with the foreign ministers of Iran, Oman and France.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi briefed Wang Yi on the latest developments of the situation of Iran, noting that the US has launched war against Iran for the second time during their ongoing negotiations. Though the two sides have made positive progress in the latest round of negotiations, the US action violates all international laws and treads and even crosses the red line of Iran. The Iranian side has no choice but to defend itself at all costs. China has made public its voice for fairness and justice, and Iran hopes that China will continue playing a proactive role in preventing the escalation of tensions in the region.

Wang Yi noted that China values the traditional friendship between China and Iran and supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national dignity and in upholding its legitimate and lawful rights and interests. He said that China has urged the US and Israel to immediately cease military actions to avoid further escalation of tensions and prevent the conflict from expanding and spreading to the entire Middle East region. China believes that under the current grave and complex situation, Iran will maintain its national and social stability, take seriously the legitimate concerns of neighbouring countries, and ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Iran. (At least one Chinese citizen has so far been killed as a result of US-Israeli aggression.)

In his conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi noted that under Oman’s mediation, Iran-US negotiations made unprecedented progress, yet regrettably, the US and Israel have cast aside the existing outcomes of the talks and launched a war. If the war continues, it will lead to more casualties and property losses. All parties should work together for an early ceasefire.

Wang Yi said that China appreciates Oman’s active mediation in advancing the negotiations between Iran and the US and its tremendous efforts for safeguarding regional peace. Despite progress in the talks, the US and Israel deliberately provoked a war against Iran, which clearly violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Regarding the spillover of the conflict to states in the Persian Gulf that harbour aggressive US military bases, Wang Yi pointedly noted that China expects that Gulf states will enhance their independence, oppose external interference, develop good neighbourliness, and strengthen solidarity and coordination, so as to truly hold their future firmly in their own hands.

In his call with Wang Yi, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot shared his country’s perspective on the current situation in the Middle East, underscoring that France and China, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, have special responsibility for upholding international peace and security. The US and Israel did not seek the opinions from the UN Security Council regarding their military action against Iran, nor did they obtain authorisation from the Council. All parties should work together to de-escalate the tensions and resolve such issues as the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiation. China has maintained good relations with both Iran and other Gulf states. France looks forward to joining hands with China to proactively ease the situation in the region.

Wang Yi reiterated China’s principled position, stressing that the international community should reject any act that violates international law and refrain from applying double standards. Major countries must not be allowed to attack others at will with their military might, nor should the world revert to the law of the jungle. China hopes that France will uphold an objective and just position, remain calm and rational, and work with China to de-escalate the situation, jointly safeguarding the basic norms of international relations.

On March 3, Wang Yi spoke with the foreign minister of the Zionist entity Gideon Sa’ar.

Wang pointed out that recent negotiations between Iran and the US had been making notable progress, which also took into account Israel’s security concerns. Regrettably, this process has been disrupted by military strikes. China opposes such strikes launched by Israel and the US against Iran. The use of force cannot truly solve problems. China calls for immediate cessation of military actions to prevent the conflict from further escalating and spiraling out of control. Wang further called on Israel to take concrete measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel and institutions.

Why isn’t China intervening to stop the US war of aggression against Iran?

The following brief article by Brian Berletic, originally published on his Twitter/X, addresses a question that has been raised by some anti-imperialist commentators since the launch of the criminal US-Israeli war on Iran: why has China not directly intervened militarily to stop this aggression. Berletic argues that the answer lies primarily in structural and military realities rather than political will.

First, he explains that, in stark contrast to the US, China’s military doctrine focuses on defending its own borders and deterring threats along its periphery. As a result, it lacks the logistical infrastructure and global deployment capacity necessary to intervene in a distant conflict such as a war in West Asia.

Second, he highlights the extensive regional military network the US has spent decades building around Iran. This includes bases, logistics hubs, air defence systems and political alliances with multiple regional states, as well as military occupations in Iraq and Syria. To directly counter a US military operation in this environment, China would need a comparable network of bases and alliances in the region – something it neither possesses nor seeks to establish.

Third, he argues that China deliberately avoids building influence through military domination or occupation, which differentiates its foreign policy from that of the US. Attempting to match Washington’s global military posture would require a fundamentally different approach to foreign relations.

Instead, Berletic suggests China’s support for Iran takes less direct and obvious forms: economic cooperation to mitigate sanctions, technological assistance for domestic defence production, and supplies of military equipment.

He concludes that the constraints facing China – and similarly Russia – reflect practical limits rather than indifference, warning that blaming them for US actions ultimately deflects responsibility from Washington.

Why isn’t China intervening to stop the US war of aggression against Iran?

Somehow this is still a question people are asking, so I will explain.

China’s military is built to defend China within and along its borders against a massive and growing US military build-up all along its peripheries ongoing for decades.

Its forces are organized around hardware designed specifically for this purpose – not to project military power around the globe like the US does – and the US has these capabilities because it is an aggressor – not for national defense.

China literally has no ability to project the military power required to confront and successfully stop a full-scale US war of aggression on the other side of the planet with the capabilities it has for national defense;

In order to launch this war on Iran – the US spent decades building up a network of global and regional bases, logistical networks, ammunition depots, fuel dumps, regional integrated air defense capabilities etc. to first encircle Iran – then attack it.

China would be required to create an equal or greater network throughout the region to stop this- and this simply isn’t possible;

The US built its network up through both politically capturing nations in the region (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait) and invading/occupying them (Iraq & Syria).

China simply doesn’t conduct its foreign policy this way – because if it did – it would be just as bad as the US itself;

If you think China could simply project military power over the horizon – this is even more difficult and unrealistic. This requires huge amounts of long-range aircraft, immense aerial refueling capabilities, and long-range munitions as well as forward bases at least near the region to do so.

Sending naval vessels would simply place them at the mercy of a better prepared and more extensive military positions the US has established over decades as explained above;

What China has likely done is all that it could do – provide economic support against illegal US sanctions, provide technical/material support for Iran’s military industrial production, provide military support through the transfer of weapons and equipment.

All of these have their limits especially in terms of the transfer of military equipment to Iran – which takes YEARS to train Iranian personnel on EFFECTIVELY, as well as to integrate it through training in modern combined arms operations.

This last point regarding the amount of time it takes to effectively integrate new military hardware into a military is exactly why Ukraine has failed to absorb and fully utilize floods of Western weapons and equipment in the US proxy war on Russia being waged there.

CONCLUSION

There are real-world limitations on what nations like Russia and China can do against US wars of aggression elsewhere especially considering the fact the US is waging proxy war on both Russia and China at the same time it wages direct war on Iran.

Russia and China are doing what is realistic and within their capabilities – and are constantly expanding their own capabilities in order to do more when possible.

Do not confuse real limitations with a lack of concern or will – and realize blaming Russia or China for a US WAR OF AGGRESSION simply serves Washington’s agenda – not Iran’s or any of its allies.

China firmly opposes and strongly condemns killing of Iran’s supreme leader

China has expressed its firm opposition to and strong condemnation of the brazen US and Israeli aggression against Iran and the murder of the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

In an immediate reaction, following the start of the aggression on February 28, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that China is highly concerned over the military strikes against Iran launched by the US and Israel, adding that Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected.

The same day, the United Nations Security Council met in emergency session in New York.

Ambassador Fu Cong said: “Today, the United States and Israel brazenly launched military strikes against targets inside Iran, causing a sudden escalation of regional tensions. China is deeply concerned about this development. China consistently advocates that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and opposes and condemns the use or threat of force in international relations. China stresses that the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Iran and other regional countries must be respected.”

Speaking on a day when a US-Israeli air strike in the south of Iran hit a primary school, killing at least 148 people, the majority of them schoolgirls, and injuring at least 95 others, Fu added:

“China is deeply saddened by the large number of civilian casualties caused by the conflict. At all times, the red line for protecting civilians in armed conflict must not be crossed, and the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable.”

He also stated that: “China calls for an immediate cessation of military actions to prevent further cycles of escalation. The military strikes occurred at a time when the US and Iran were engaged in diplomatic negotiations, which is shocking. The parties concerned should demonstrate political sincerity, resume dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, and return to the right track of a political solution.”

On March 1, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that, “China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the attack and killing of Iran’s supreme leader.”

The attack and killing of Iran’s supreme leader is a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, said the spokesperson, adding that it tramples on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms in international relations.

On the same day, Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the situation in a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Wang said that it is unacceptable for the United States and Israel to launch strikes on Iran during the Iran-US negotiations, adding that it is also unacceptable for them to blatantly kill the leader of a sovereign state and incite government change. These actions violate international law and basic norms of international relations.

Wang summarised China’s position in three points:

An immediate cessation of military operations.
A prompt return to dialogue and negotiations.
A joint opposition to unilateral actions. Striking sovereign countries without authorisation of the UN Security Council undermines the foundation of peace established after World War II. The international community should send a clear message against any regression to the law of the jungle.

Sergei Lavrov said that Russia shares the same position with China and stands ready to strengthen coordination and communication with the Chinese side to send a clear signal through platforms such as the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, calling for an immediate cessation of the war and a return to diplomatic negotiations.

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.