Moscow and Beijing urge immediate halt to US-Iran conflict

Officials from the foreign ministries of Russia and China have held political consultations on Middle East issues, calling for the swift end of the war between the United States and Iran, according to a statement released by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

“[During the consultations,] the imperative of an early cessation of hostilities between the United States and Iran was underscored, along with a return to the political and diplomatic process on the basis of the Islamabad Memorandum to develop a long-term comprehensive agreement,” the statement read.

Following the talks, representatives of both ministries stressed that the role of external actors in the Middle East should be to encourage progress toward peace rather than fuel divisions and tensions.

According to the diplomats, any settlement of the conflict should include the “creation of an independent, territorially integral and viable State of Palestine.” They also expressed support for mediation efforts by Pakistani and Arab intermediaries aimed at advancing that objective.

By Jeyhun Aghazada