ISTANBUL
France has agreed to work with China to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said after a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement published on Monday, Barrot said the “Iranian regime bears responsibility for the ongoing escalation,” citing its “unjustifiable attacks” in the region and its refusal to comply with UN Security Council resolutions on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
He also pointed to Tehran’s “refusal to engage in good faith in multilateral negotiations” and recalled “the scale of the human rights violations” during a January crackdown on protests.
Barrot said the US-Israeli military operation “was conducted without France’s participation or information,” and it is “each country’s responsibility to prioritize international institutions for resolving disputes and, if necessary, resorting to force.”
Both sides agreed on “the need to work towards de-escalation, in conjunction with the Gulf countries,” and to seek “a political settlement guaranteeing collective security interests” within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions and international law.
Tensions are running across the Middle East since Saturday when the US and Israel initiated airstrikes on Iran, killing the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and 786 others.
Tehran responded with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and US-linked sites in Gulf countries, causing multiple fatalities. Six US service members have been killed and many others injured.
The US-Israeli attack came in the midst of indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Oman.