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China offers $200,000 emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran after school attack.
Iran says death toll of US-Israeli strikes reaches 1,230.
Iran's IRGC official says will burn any ship trying to pass through Strait of Horm.
JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military said Friday that its air force, acting on intelligence, killed Ali Mohammad Naini, spokesperson and head of public relations for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), in an overnight strike in Tehran.
In a statement, the military said that Naini had served as the IRGC's "main propagandist" for the past two years, accusing him of "disseminating the regime's terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East to influence and advance attacks against Israel on multiple fronts."
Iranian state media confirmed Naini's death. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that he had served as IRGC spokesman since 2024 and "was martyred" in strikes it attributed to the United States and Israel.
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference on Thursday that Iran has lost its uranium enrichment and missile production capabilities.
Netanyahu said that these were two of the three goals of the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, and that the third goal, toppling the regime, now depends on the Iranian people.
"Revolutions do not happen from the air, and there are many ground options that I will not disclose," he said.
Regarding Israel's strike on an Iranian natural gas field in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, Netanyahu confirmed earlier remarks by US President Donald Trump that Israel had not informed the United States before the attack.
"President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we're holding it," Netanyahu said.
He also said that the United States and Israel together had destroyed Iran's entire naval fleet in the Caspian Sea.
As for the duration of the ongoing war, Netanyahu said it would last "as long as necessary," adding that it would end "much faster than people think."
During the press conference, Iran launched missiles towards Israel, setting off air raid sirens across the country's north. Israel's emergency service reported no casualties.
Netanyahu's remarks came amid heightened tensions after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb 28, prompting retaliatory attacks by Iran and its regional allies against Israeli and US interests across the Middle East.
WASHINGTON - If Iran attacks Qatar again, the US military "will massively blow up the entirety" of the South Pars gas field in Iran, US President Donald Trump warned in a post on his Truth Social on Wednesday.
Trump's remarks came after Iran hit Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, after Israel launched an attack on Wednesday against Iran's South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Doha.
"The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen," Trump said.
"NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack" Qatar again, Trump said.
If Iran attacks Qatar again, "the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before," he added.
Opposition is growing in Japan to a United States request for Tokyo to dispatch naval vessels to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The issue has placed Japan in a dilemma, with politicians and academics questioning whether Tokyo should support Washington. They argue that Japan should not simply follow US policy but instead assess its alliance with Washington within the framework of international law — reflecting the long-standing tension between Japan's alliance obligations and the pacifist principles embedded in its constitution.
The debate intensified after US President Donald Trump called on five countries, including Japan, to send naval vessels to escort ships through the strategic waterway.
The situation has put Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in a delicate position ahead of a scheduled meeting with Trump on Thursday.
Speaking at a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee on Wednesday, Takaichi said Japan currently has no plans to dispatch Self-Defense Force vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Nikkei.
Since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, Takaichi has avoided commenting directly on the legality of the US military operation, while criticizing Iran for its attacks on civilian facilities in Gulf countries.
Former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba said on a Fuji Television program on Sunday that the central question is whether the US strikes on Iran comply with international law. Without resolving that issue, he said, it would be difficult to determine what actions Japan could legitimately take.
Atsushi Koketsu, a professor at Yamaguchi University, told China Daily that the US and Israeli strikes on Iran clearly violated international law and the United Nations Charter. He noted that the Japanese government had so far refrained from criticizing the US actions and predicted that Tokyo was unlikely to do so during the meeting.
Regrettable silence
Koketsu said Japan's silence is regrettable for a country that describes itself as a peaceful nation and urged its leaders to maintain the country's long-standing diplomatic stance of upholding international law and international order. Fully aligning with US positions could undermine Japan's image as a peaceful nation, he warned.
Japanese media reports indicated that Tokyo faces a significant legal dilemma if it considers sending Self-Defense Forces vessels to the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Nikkei Asia, any such move would hinge on two factors: whether the US military action against Iran complies with international law, and whether the situation qualifies as a "situation threatening Japan's survival" under its security legislation.
During deliberations on the 2015 security laws, the Japanese government stated that it would not support the use of force that violates international law.
Regarding how the situation in the Strait of Hormuz relates to the legal concept of a "situation threatening Japan's survival", Kiyomi Tsujimoto, an upper house member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said on X that she had submitted written questions to the government earlier this month. The government planned to approve its response at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
An editorial published by the Tokyo Shimbun on Wednesday said that the US and Israeli strikes on Iran violated international law, adding that Japan should not become involved in the military conflict or yield to such demands.
Beyond legal and alliance considerations, energy security has emerged as a more immediate concern for Japan. Koketsu said the Middle East remains a crucial energy source for Japan and that Tokyo has long maintained relatively stable relations with countries in the region through diplomacy. If Japan were to follow US policy too closely or take part in military operations, it could damage relations with Iran and other regional countries, ultimately undermining Japan's long-term energy security, he warned.
Given Japan's alliance with the US and its long-standing friendly relations with Iran, Koketsu said Japan could have played a mediating role between the two countries. However, the government has shown little willingness to pursue such diplomatic efforts.
"If Japan simply follows US policy, it will find it difficult to gain trust and respect in the international community," he said.
According to a poll released by the Asahi Shimbun on Sunday, 82 percent of respondents said they did not support the US strikes on Iran, while only 9 percent expressed support.
houjunjie@chinadaily.com.cn
UAE suspends operations at major Habshan offshore gas facility after interception of missiles -- media office.
14 killed, 50 injured in US-Israeli airstrike on a justice department building in southwestern Iran -- Tasnim
JERUSALEM -- The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Wednesday that it had struck targets in northern Iran for the first time since the start of its ongoing offensive against Iran on Feb 28.
Explosions and interception attempts marked Wednesday in Israel and a host of Gulf nations as Iran swore vengeance for the killing of top security official Ali Larijani in an overnight Israeli strike.
Experts said Larijani's death would make a diplomatic solution to the war more difficult and longer to reach, as incoming Iranian leaders might be "harder-edged" than their predecessors.
A barrage of Iranian missiles struck near Israel's capital and commercial hub Tel Aviv, killing two people, Israel's emergency service said. Explosions were heard in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and interceptions were reported from Saudi Arabia as Iranian rockets and drones headed for targets including the United States' bases in the region.
In Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building in central Beirut, completely flattening it as day broke. Two earlier strikes on residential apartments in other central Beirut neighborhoods killed at least six people and wounded 24 others, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
The US-Israeli war against Iran has killed at least 1,300 people so far in Iran, more than 900 in Lebanon and 14 in Israel, according to officials in the respective countries. The US military said 13 US service members had died and about 200 injured.
According to Iran's Fars and Tasnim news agencies, funerals for Larijani and another senior figure killed by Israel — Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary force — will start at 10:30 GMT in Tehran.
Meanwhile, Israel's defense minister said on Wednesday that the Israeli military had killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib as well. Israel Katz announced Khatib's killing and said that "significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all the fronts," without elaborating.
Tehran said the killing of officials would not hinder its operations. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the United States and Israel failed to understand that the Islamic republic was a robust political system that did not depend on any single individual.
Larijani, 68, was the most prominent figure of the Islamic republic to be killed in Israeli and US attacks on Iran since Feb 28, when supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated, igniting a war across the Middle East. Larijani had reportedly been seen walking openly with crowds at a pro-government rally last week in Tehran.
"Iran's response to the assassination of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council will be decisive and unforgiving," Iranian army chief Amir Hatami said in a statement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also lashed out at Israel, condemning its "political assassinations" of Tehran's leaders as "illegal activities in violation of the normal laws of war".
But Israel vowed also to target the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since he succeeded his father.
Diplomatic solutions 'more remote'
Sultan Barakat, a senior professor of public policy at Qatar's Hamad bin Khalifa University, said Larijani's death "will strengthen the line of the hard-liners" within the Iranian government to start with, and diplomatic solutions will remain "slightly more remote" for the moment.
Larijani was able to speak to both sides of the political aisle, which made him "very important" for maintaining a "balance of power" in Iran, Barakat added.
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said Israel's continuous targeting of high-profile Iranian leaders was not a normal practice in warfare.
Israel is "turning this (war) into an industry of assassinations, which is not the norm in wars," he said. "In wars, you don't start by killing political leaders, including elected leaders. That program of assassination is gangster; it's terrorism; it's not the norm of war."
Meanwhile, a senior Emirati official said on Tuesday that the UAE may join a US-led effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, after largely shut it, raising fears of a global energy crisis.
Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said talks were ongoing and no formal plan had been agreed, but that "big countries" in Asia, the Middle East and Europe bore responsibility for ensuring the flow of trade and energy.
"This is something that is in the interest of everybody," he told an online event hosted by the US think tank the Council on Foreign Relations. "Everybody has a responsibility."
The UAE has faced more Iranian attacks than any other country in the region, including Israel. Tehran has claimed that Emirati territory was used to launch an attack against Iran, an accusation that the oil-rich Gulf state has denied.
Several allies of the United States have rejected immediate plans to send their militaries to the Strait of Hormuz after Washington called on foreign governments to help secure the strategic waterway amid the conflict with Iran.
At a news conference on Monday, US President Donald Trump expressed frustration at the hesitation of allies to join a proposed multinational mission to escort oil tankers.
"Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren't. Some are countries that we've helped for many, many years. We've protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren't that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me," he said.
"I think we have one or two that will not do it, that we've been protecting for about 40 years at tens of billions of dollars," he added.
The White House would soon announce countries that have agreed to take part in the coalition, he said, providing no details.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world's most important energy transit routes, with about one-fifth of oil and liquefied natural gas passing through the narrow channel. Disruptions to shipping in recent days have raised concerns about energy supply and global markets.
On Sunday, the US urged seven countries that rely heavily on Middle Eastern energy, including China, France, Japan and the United Kingdom, to deploy naval vessels to help escort commercial ships and ensure freedom of navigation.
Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday that it would be "very bad for the future of NATO" if the allies refused to help.
A number of governments said they were not planning to send warships at this stage or emphasized diplomatic approaches to the crisis.
In Australia, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said on Monday that the government had no intentions to deploy naval vessels to the strait.
"I'm informed that we're not intending to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz," King told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, saying the country was monitoring the situation and focusing on protecting Australians in the region.
Japan was cautious and said it currently has "no plans" to dispatch naval vessels to the waterway.
"We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday. "We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework."
'Not our war'
In Europe, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday that Berlin would not take part in military operations linked to reopening the route.
"This is not our war, we have not started it," he said at a news conference in Berlin when asked about the possibility of German naval involvement.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday that "diplomacy needs to prevail", noting that Italy had no naval mission in the region that could be expanded for such operations.
London said it was assessing possible responses but has not committed to sending warships. British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said on Sunday that the government was considering "any options" to help secure the strait while working with partners to address the situation.
The number of US troops who have been wounded or injured during the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran had exceeded 200 across seven countries, a US military spokesman said on Monday, providing the most detailed account yet of how US personnel have been put in harm's way, The Washington Post reported.
The Post cited Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, chief spokesman for US Central Command, as saying that US troops have been wounded in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, primarily in the first few days of the conflict. More than 180 of them have returned to duty.
minluzhang@chinadailyusa.com
Leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint plea to the Israeli government on Monday evening, urging it to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Lebanon after the military made incursions into the south of the country.
Israel's actions are in response to missiles being fired by the Hezbollah militia from what the Israeli military calls "key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon".
The joint statement said "a significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict".
"It must be averted … the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, including ongoing mass displacement, is already deeply alarming," the statement said.
It also condemned the attacks by Hezbollah, which has already rejected calls for disarmament from the Lebanese government, saying the signatory countries "stand in solidarity with the Lebanese government and people, who have been unwillingly drawn into conflict".
Israeli media reported that three divisions, comprising thousands of troops, had been deployed in southern Lebanon, with two more divisions set to follow.
A military statement called the action "part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area".
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned residents displaced from an area of about 30 kilometers between the border and the Litani River that they would not be able to return home "until the safety of residents in the north (of Israel) is guaranteed".
The Times of Israel quoted Lebanese state media as saying that airstrikes had been carried out on the capital Beirut, further north, targeting three areas in a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.
"Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes targeting the Kafaat and Haret Hreik areas," it said.
"In another raid, the aircraft struck a residential apartment on the upper floors of a building located at the end of Venice Street in the Doha Aramoun area."
Official figures estimate that more than 1 million people have already been registered as displaced by the fighting.
A representative of humanitarian relief organization Doctors Without Borders said this had been caused by "relentless Israeli bombings and blanket evacuation orders that are not sparing anyone".
julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com
Attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran face a "crisis of legitimacy" after several of Washington's allies refused to join its military campaign in the Middle East, analysts say.
On Monday, European countries such as Spain, Germany and Portugal, as well as the European Union, rejected the US' request for a military mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed to "enemies and those supporting their aggression".
Arsenio Dominguez, head of the United Nations' International Maritime Organization, told the Financial Times that military escorts guiding the tankers through the Strait of Hormuz are not a "100 percent guarantee" of safe passage.
Abdolreza Alami, director of the Asia West East Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, told China Daily that the growing refusal by Washington's traditional allies to join this conflict signified a logistic bottleneck and "crisis of legitimacy" for US and Israeli military operations.
The US' key allies in Europe, Asia and Oceania, even Arab allies in the Middle East, have described the war "not as a collective defense, but as a war of choice", Alami said.
The countries' refusal to deploy naval forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has left Washington alone to secure a route that carries about 20 percent of the world's energy flow.
This strategic isolation increases the costs of maintaining a prolonged campaign and exposes US forces to asymmetrical pressures without sharing the financial and military burden with allies, Alami said.
Late on Monday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X that in his conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, he emphasized that Iran "did not begin this atrocious war" and that "defending against invasion is a natural right".
"Using the American bases against Iran in the region, with the purpose of disturbing our relations with our neighbors, should be stopped," Pezeshkian said.
"Peace and stability in the region cannot be achieved while disregarding the Zionist-American invasion in our country. The Islamic Republic of Iran will not surrender to bullies," he said.
Iran expected the global community "to condemn this invasion and convince invaders to respect international laws", he added.
Alami said that for Iran, this discord within the Western consensus creates a strategic opportunity.
"The decline in international support for the US has allowed Tehran to frame its retaliatory actions as 'legitimate defense' against unilateral aggression, thereby strengthening its diplomatic position," he said.
"Ultimately, Iran's goal is not merely to impose economic pain, but to pressure America's allies into pushing Washington toward de-escalation and a cessation of attacks," he added.
Security chief killed
Meanwhile, Israel said on Tuesday that it killed two senior Iranian security officials in overnight strikes.
Both Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran's Basij volunteer force, were "eliminated last night", Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
The killing of Larijani, if confirmed by Tehran, would represent the highest-profile assassination since Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures were slain on Feb 28.
An Israeli military official said the army had also targeted a top military commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Akram al-Ajouri, in a strike in Iran and was assessing whether he had been killed.
In Baghdad, Iraq, a drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy early on Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisers, security officials said.
The strikes came hours after air defenses thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy and a drone sparked a fire at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign diplomats in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
In another development, envoys from the US-led "Board of Peace" met representatives of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Cairo, Egypt, over the weekend, concerning the Gaza ceasefire, which had largely been overshadowed by the regional strikes.
Jawaid Iqbal, vice-chancellor of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in India, said Israel shut down Gaza's border after the onset of the Iran war, citing security reasons. It later allowed a limited amount of aid into Gaza, but refused to open the sole pedestrian crossing at Rafah.
Hamas warned that it would withdraw from the ceasefire agreement if Israel prolonged the new restrictions imposed during the Iran war.
Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.
jan@chinadailyapac.com
Cooking gas shortages triggered by the Middle East conflict are rippling through India's food sector, forcing businesses to explore alternative options.
In Kolkata, restaurateur Chhanda Chakraborty has switched from liquefied petroleum gas stoves to induction cooktops and coal-fired tandoors.
"I learned that a few hostels and canteens have dropped tea and dosa (Indian pancake), and are serving rice-lentils, sandwiches and cold drinks", she said, describing how eateries are dropping items that require long simmering amid the LPG crunch.
Chakraborty, who normally uses at least 200 LPG cylinders a month, said it remains unclear how the switch to alternative fuels will affect her business. "We have not assessed if the switch will cause a rise in our operational costs," she said.
The hospitality and catering sector has been directly hit as the Middle East crisis has intensified LPG shortage. Restaurants and hotels nationwide have reported difficulties in securing fresh commercial cylinders, while lawmakers last week raised concerns over shortages in several regions.
"Indian hospitality industry depends heavily on LPG, while industries like power plants, fertilizer plants and city gas networks also use it," said Swaran Singh, a professor of international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
The country consumes about 31.3 million metric tons of LPG annually, with roughly 87 percent used in the domestic sector and the rest by commercial establishments, including hotels and restaurants.
As much as 62 percent of the total demand is met through imports, 85 to 90 percent of which come from the Persian Gulf region, routed via the Strait of Hormuz.
Continuing tensions "have resulted in delays, disruptions and price hikes" in LPG imports, Singh said.
Economist Abhirup Sarkar said the supply disruptions are clearly affecting restaurants nationwide. "Notably, it is the roadside food joints which serve millions of people" that are among the hardest hit, he said.
Shutdowns feared
Hotel and restaurant associations in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai have warned of acute shortages of commercial LPG cylinders, saying they may face shutdowns if supplies are not restored forthwith, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Restaurant kitchens in the capital territory and other major cities have suspended some operations and are shifting to alternative fuels to stay open, Xinhua reported. The estimated rate of suspension reached up to 20 percent of outlets in Mumbai and Kolkata, local media reported.
Singh said India has initiated a multilayered response, prioritizing household consumption and negotiating with Iran to allow safe passage for Indian-flagged shipments. Last week, the government also ordered oil refineries and petrochemical units to maximize LPG output and divert key hydrocarbon streams to the LPG pool.
However, a resolution of the issue hinges on an end to the conflict.
Sarkar said that although Iran is allowing Indian shipments through the strait on a case-by-case basis, no quick solution is in sight.
"If this crisis doesn't end soon enough, a new normal will emerge — that's chilling because the economic implications will be huge as well as widespread," he said.
Arunava Das is a freelance journalist for China Daily.
Contact the writers at vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com
TEHRAN -- Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirmed that its secretary Ali Larijani has been killed in an attack, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported early Wednesday.
In a statement, the council said Larijani died early Tuesday alongside his son Morteza Larijani, deputy for security affairs at the council's secretariat Alireza Bayat, and several others, Tasnim reported.
The council praised Larijani's long service to Iran's development and called for national unity in the face of external threats.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had killed Larijani in ongoing strikes on Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday confirmed the death of Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij volunteer force, in a US-Israeli strike.
The deaths came amid heightened regional tensions following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran starting Feb 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and US interests across the Middle East.
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel had killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in ongoing strikes on Iran.
Netanyahu said Israel was conducting air operations over Tehran and other Iranian cities using fighter jets and drones, adding that the campaign was creating conditions for possible "regime change" in Iran.
He also said he had spoken at length with US President Donald Trump the previous day about military cooperation.
"We will act both through indirect measures that place immense pressure on the Iranian regime and through direct actions. There are many more surprises," Netanyahu said.
The Israel Defense Forces said earlier on Tuesday that it had launched wide-scale strikes on Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran. It later said the attacks had killed Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran's Basij volunteer force.
Iran has not responded to the Israeli claims.
US-Israeli strikes on Iran entered their 18th day on Tuesday, causing heavy casualties and widespread destruction, according to Iranian authorities. Iran has retaliated with attacks that have effectively halted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and drawn much of the region into the conflict.
WASHINGTON -- Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, announced on social media Tuesday that he has decided to resign from his position, noting that he "cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran."
Message from top security official Ali Larijani to be released shortly - Iranian media report
China will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian announced on Tuesday.
The announcement came after the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had warned that the crisis constitutes a major humanitarian emergency, with an estimated 25 million people displaced across affected areas.
The current conflict has inflicted a profound humanitarian disaster on the people in the region, Lin said,?adding that China hoped the emergency assistance would help alleviate the dire situation faced by the affected populations.
Lin emphasized that China will continue its efforts to promote peace and work toward an early restoration of regional peace and stability, and to prevent the further spread of the humanitarian crisis.
Israeli military believes Iran's top security official Ali Larijani killed -- Israeli media report
European Union foreign ministers considered extending the bloc's Aspides naval mission to the Strait of Hormuz at a meeting in Brussels, Belgium on Monday, amid the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
On the weekend, US President Donald Trump urged several countries to deploy vessels to help secure the waterway.
EU ministers plan to take up the possible expansion of Aspides to the strait during Monday's Brussels session, Euronews reported.
However, Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Sunday that he was cautious about expanding the naval mission.
Wadephul said that the deployment intended to facilitate commercial transits through the Red Sea was "not effective".
"And that is why I am very skeptical that extending Aspides to the Strait of Hormuz would provide greater security," he said in an interview with Germany's ARD television.
Aspides is an EU naval mission launched in the Red Sea in February 2024 in response to Houthi attacks on international shipping. The mission currently has one Italian and one Greek warship under its command and can draw on a French frigate and another Italian vessel for backup.
With the Strait of Hormuz largely closed since US and Israeli strikes began on Feb 28, some European officials are weighing whether the EU operation could help reopen sea lanes in the Gulf.
Washington is ramping up pressure on European and Asian partners to help secure the vital oil corridor after energy prices spiked following US–Israeli strikes on Iran.
About 20 percent of the world's oil transits through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said last week it would shut the waterway in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes against it, and has since targeted several vessels in the area.
Despite Washington's efforts to calm energy markets, oil has climbed past $100 a barrel, stoking concerns about inflation and slower growth.
Greece will not join military operations in the Strait of Hormuz, a government spokesperson said.
Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said Copenhagen must "remain open" to consider contributing to securing the strait.
A German government spokesperson stated on Monday that the conflict in Iran does not involve the military alliance NATO, and Germany will not take part in military action to keep the strait open for merchant shipping during the crisis.
jonathan@mail.chinadailyuk.com
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Monday the US forces have sunk all the Iranian mine-laying ships but it remains unclear if Iran has started laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes.
"We don't know that they have dropped anything," Trump said at a press conference.
"With more than 30 mine-laying ships destroyed, we hit, to the best of our knowledge, all of their mine-laying ships," Trump claimed, while noting that Iran now can put mines on other types of ships and drop them in the strait.
Trump said the US military has struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran and "literally destroyed everything" on Iran's Kharg Island except oil facilities.
"As you know, we attacked Kharg Island and knocked it ... literally destroyed everything on the island except for the area where the oil is, I call it the pipes," Trump said.
