WORLD – Russia and China have rushed to the defence of their ally Iran and urged the United States to show restraint in its response to the killing of three American soldiers.
The United States has vowed to respond to a drone attack on a base in Jordan that claimed the lives of three American soldiers, raising fears of an escalating Middle East conflict.
Iran-backed militants have been blamed for the strike on the Tower 22 base, leading to calls at home for US president Joe Biden to respond robustly and with force.
But in an apparent bid to temper America’s expected retaliation against their Iranian ally, both Russia and China have today called for a de-escalation in the region.
The Kremlin, asked on Tuesday about potential US strikes on Iranian interests, said tensions in the Middle East were high and that steps were needed to de-escalate rather than destabilise the wider region, where fighting is currently raging in Gaza.
China on Tuesday also warned against a ‘cycle of retaliation’ in the volatile region.
The comments came after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday vowed the US would take ‘all necessary actions’ to defend its troops.
His statement followed a similar one from Biden and the White House, which vowed a ‘very consequential response’ even as the administration stressed that it is not seeking war with Iran over the strike.
Amid concerns over an escalation, Beijing said Tuesday it had ‘noted reports of casualties caused by the attack on a US military base’.
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‘We have also noted that Iran stated that it had nothing to do with the attack,’ foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, pointing to the fact that Tehran has denied it was behind the deadly strike over the weekend.
That is despite the fact that a group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella term for a number of Iran-backed militias, has claimed responsibility.
‘We hope that all relevant parties will remain calm and restrained… in order to avoid falling into a vicious cycle of retaliation and prevent further escalation,’ Wang added.
‘The situation in the Middle East is currently highly complex and sensitive.’
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: ‘In our view, the overall level of tension is very alarming and, on the contrary, now is the time for steps to de-escalate tensions.’
‘This is the only thing that can help us prevent further spreading of the conflict, especially the Middle East conflict, and somehow achieve de-confliction and de-escalation,’ Peskov added.
