July 8th, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning presided over a regular press conference.
According to reports, on July 7 local time, the US Central Command stated that it had carried out a new round of strikes against Iran, hitting over 80 targets. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran announced that they had struck 85 important military facilities of the US forces located in Salmang Port, the Bahrain headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and the Al-Ari Salim Air Base in Kuwait. They also stated that they had shot down a MQ-9 drone that attempted to intervene in the operation.
A AFP reporter asked at the meeting that today the United States and Iran have attacked each other. What is China's view on the resurgence of conflict in the Middle East?
Regarding this, Mao Ning said: "We are keeping an eye on the latest developments in the situation in the Middle East. Rekindling hostilities does not benefit any party, and military measures cannot solve the fundamental issues. We call on the United States and Iran to implement the signed memorandum of understanding and resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiation, so as to avoid resorting to force."
Iran's national television station reported on the 8th that the US military's attack on Sirak in southern Iran caused several people to be injured.
The Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, who had just arrived in the Shiite holy city of Najaf in Iraq a few hours ago, has left Iraq and returned to Iran ahead of schedule. Raisi was scheduled to attend today the funeral ceremony for the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Iraq.
According to reports, U.S. officials revealed that the strikes against Iran include targets such as Iran's air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites. The scale and intensity of these strikes are four to five times that of the strikes conducted 10 days ago.
American officials stated that the military strikes against targets in Iran are not a “countermeasure” but rather a “punishment” for Iran. Moreover, these strikes “will not end soon,” with the aim of making Iran “pay a heavy price.”
