Iran to do ‘utmost’ to protect China’s citizens amid US-Israel attacks: FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds calls with China’s Wang Yi amid Israeli-US attacks on Iran.Published On 3 Mar 2026The Iranian minister of foreign affairs has briefed senior members of China’s central committee and his counterpart, Wang Yi, promising to do everything to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in the country amid the war launched by the US and Israel.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the comment in a call on Monday with Wang, which focused on the situation in Iran as Tehran defended “itself at all costs”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said in a statement.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4What is the Strait of Hormuz? How will its closure impact oil prices?list 2 of 4After Iran’s salvo hit their skylines, will Gulf states enter the war?list 3 of 4Oil prices rise sharply after US, Israeli attacks on Iranlist 4 of 4Why QatarEnergy’s LNG production halt could shake up global gas marketsend of list“Seyed Abbas Araghchi noted that the Iranian side will do its utmost to guarantee the safety and security of Chinese personnel and institutions,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Araghchi told Wang that Washington had “launched war against Iran for the second time during their ongoing negotiations”, despite the two sides having made “positive progress in the latest round of negotiations”.The US and Israel launched their surprise attack on Iran on Saturday, just after Oman’s foreign minister – who had mediated the last round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran – said a peace deal was closer than ever.“A peace deal is within our reach,” Badr al-Busaidi said in an interview with CBS News just hours before the attack on Iran started.Tehran had “no choice but to defend itself”, Araghchi told his Chinese counterpart, adding that he hoped Beijing would play a role in preventing further escalation of the conflict in the region.“China values the traditional friendship between China and Iran and supports Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national dignity and in upholding its legitimate and lawful rights and interests,” Wang told Araghchi, according to the ministry.