China Condemns Khamenei's Killing

Beijing :  China strongly condemned the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying that it is a "grave violation" of Iran's sovereignty and security and called for an immediate end to the US and Israeli attack on that country. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held telephone talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov over the deepening crisis in West Asia.

Iran is a staunch ally of China and Russia. China procures a substantial amount of oil and gas from Iran.

"The attack and killing of Iran's Supreme Leader is a grave violation of Iran's sovereignty and security," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement on Sunday.

"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 statement said.

"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," it said.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, held talks with Lavrov at latter's request, official media reported.

Wang said that under the impetus of China and Russia, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting Saturday on the current situation in Iran.

China has consistently upheld the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and opposed the use of force in international relations, he said.

"It is unacceptable for the United States and Israel to launch strikes on Iran during the Iran-US negotiations," said Wang, adding that it is also "unacceptable for them to blatantly kill the leader of a sovereign state and incite government change".

Wang pointed out that these actions violate international law and basic norms of international relations.

Noting that the escalation has spread throughout the Persian Gulf, Wang said that the situation in the Middle East may be pushed into a "dangerous abyss", and China is highly concerned about this.

Wang called for immediate cessation of military operations, prevent the spread and spill over of war and prevent the situation from getting out of control and called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Lavrov said that the US-Israel strikes against Iran have seriously undermined stability in West Asia.

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, he said, official media here reported.