China’s Xi tells Putin that Beijing, Moscow should push for a ceasefire
During a call this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russian President Vladimir Putin that their most “urgent task” is to push for a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Xi said the “parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent the situation from spiralling further and to avoid the spread of war”, according to a Chinese readout of the call.
“Major countries with special influence on the parties to the conflict” – a possible reference to the US – should work to stop the conflict and not extend it, Xi said, and only “dialogue and negotiations” will end the fighting.
Notably absent from Xi’s talking points were any remarks on who was at fault for instigating the conflict.
Beijing was more explicit during a call between chief diplomat Wang Yi and the foreign minister of Oman this week, where Israel’s attack on Iran was described as a violation of “international law and norms” and a threat to Iran’s sovereignty.
US rivals – China, Russia – would welcome Trump’s intervention in Iran, another ‘long war’
While China’s chief concern may be keeping Iran’s oil pipelines open and regional trade and investment flowing, it would also benefit indirectly from a US intervention, said Australia National University’s Alam Saleh who spoke to Al Jazeera earlier.
“If they intervene, that will make China and Russia very happy. They wish for the United States to get involved with an open-ended, long war with a country which is relatively strong. Iran is not the Houthis in Yemen, it’s not the Taliban in Afghanistan, and – of course – it’s not Syria or Iraq,” he said.
“If the United States intervenes, [China and Russia] will try to prolong this war by a kind of support for Iran, to keep it alive, to fight, to prostrate the United States for another few years in the region at least,” he said.
“However, they will not intervene or interfere directly.”
Well Russia can't and China is happy to see the US grind itself down. The silver lining is that WW3 is still unlikely. Whatever happens next will be mostly contained in the ME with China and Russia using Iran as a proxy battleground :/ Not all that different from how US has kinda used Ukraine to weaken Russia. Enough support to keep Ukraine alive, not enough for a decisive victory repelling the invaders.
Tens of thousands gather in Iraq in support of Iran
Thousands of Iraqis have gathered for Friday prayers in Baghdad’s Sadr City, chanting against the US and Israel amid the attacks on Iran, according to footage posted online.
Sadr City, also known as Revolution City, is a suburb of the Iraqi capital and has an estimated population of more than one million, mostly Shia Muslims. The area was named after the populist Shia and militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who is known as a close ally of Iran’s ruling religious leaders and a fierce US critic.
