The Chinese Executive expressed this Monday its frontal rejection of any military action directed against Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Jamenei, designated to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assassinated during the joint offensive by the United States and Israel against the country. Beijing thus speaks out in a context marked by public threats launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against the newly appointed Iranian head of state.
The spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, stressed that “China opposes interference in the internal affairs of other countries, under any pretext.” Along the same lines, he emphasized that “Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity must be respected,” according to statements collected by the newspaper 'Global Times'.
Guo also highlighted that Beijing “takes note” of the appointment of Mojtaba Jamenei as the new supreme authority of the Persian country, “a decision adopted by Iran in line with its Constitution”. At the same time, he again demanded “an immediate cessation of military actions and a return as soon as possible to dialogue and negotiation to avoid a further increase in tensions”.
Trump affirms that the new leader of Iran "will not last long"
On the other side, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has warned that Iran's new supreme leader “will not last long” if he does not have his approval, while Israel has stated that any successor to Khamenei will continue to be “an unequivocal target to be eliminated.”
Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic Republic since 1989, died on February 28, at the beginning of the bombing campaign launched by the United States and Israel. In that same attack, his wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, and several close relatives, including a daughter and one of his granddaughters, also died.
According to figures released by Iranian authorities, the joint offensive has so far caused more than 1,200 deaths in Iranian territory. Among the victims, in addition to the supreme leader, are several ministers and high-ranking army commanders. In response, Iran has launched missiles and drones against targets in Israel and against US bases located in various countries in the Middle East.