Beijing: China Tuesday warned against opening a ‘Pandora’s box’ in the Middle East after the United States announced the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the region amid escalating tensions with Iran.
“We call on all parties to remain rational and restrained, not to take any actions to provoke the escalation of tension in the region, and not to open a Pandora’s box,” Wang told reporters in Beijing during a joint press conference with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.
“In particular, the United States should change its practice of extreme pressure,” Wang added.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated ever since the US quit the nuclear deal and with Washington blacklisting Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.
The United States further ratcheted up pressure on Iran Monday, announcing the deployment of additional troops to the Middle East and producing new photographs that showed Tehran was behind an attack on a tanker ship in the Gulf of Oman last week.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi also urged Tehran to not abandon the nuclear agreement ‘so easily’ after Iran said it would exceed its uranium stockpile limit if world powers fail to fulfil their commitments under the agreement in 10 days.
Iran has threatened to go even further in scaling down nuclear commitments by July 8 unless remaining partners to the deal — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — help it circumvent US sanctions and especially enable it to sell its oil.
“China’s determination to safeguard the comprehensive agreement has not changed. We are willing to work with all parties to continue to make efforts for the full and effective implementation of the agreement,” Wang said.
AFP