BEIJING, Mar 18 : China on Wednesday said it would continue its mediation efforts to push for a ceasefire and bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as tensions continue to escalate with fresh military developments and rising concerns over nuclear safety in the region.
According to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the war should never have occurred and that there was no justification for its continuation.
He made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the UAE President’s special envoy to China.
Wang also expressed support for the United Arab Emirates in safeguarding its sovereignty and security.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin dismissed a report by The Wall Street Journal alleging that Russia was sharing satellite imagery and advanced drone technology with Iran, calling it “fake news.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the report was inaccurate when asked about the claims. The newspaper had reported that Russia expanded intelligence-sharing and military cooperation with Iran, including providing satellite imagery and drone technology to help Tehran target US forces in the region, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Amid growing security concerns, NATO said it would deploy an additional US Patriot air defence system to southern Turkey.
The Turkish defence ministry said the system would be stationed in Adana province, home to the Incirlik Air Base where US and allied personnel are based.
The deployment is part of efforts to strengthen defences against missile threats linked to the Iran war.
“In addition to national-level measures, another Patriot system is being deployed in Adana, in addition to the existing Spanish Patriot system,” the ministry said.
Turkey added that NATO had also deployed a Patriot system in the southeastern province of Malatya last week, near a NATO radar base, to further boost air defences.
Ankara, which has NATO’s second-largest army and shares a border with Iran, has relied on allied systems to intercept missiles it says were fired from Iran since the conflict began.
Russia warned of serious nuclear risks following an incident near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said the possibility of another strike on the plant’s territory could not be ruled out and could lead to a major catastrophe.
On Tuesday, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said a projectile had struck the plant’s territory but caused no casualties or material damage. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed of the incident.
“I am not sure that the Agency’s response is commensurate with the gravity of the situation. The missile exploded just 200 meters from an operational nuclear reactor. The possibility of another strike cannot be ruled out. This poses a real risk of a major nuclear disaster, which can dramatically affect the whole region,” Ulyanov said in a post on X.
(UNI)
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