China urges citizens to leave Iran amid rising threat of US attack

As the US considers plans to attack Iran, China has warned its citizens to avoid travelling to Iran and directed those presently in the country to leave immediately.

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The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday said the country has become “highly undesirable” due to growing security risks.

“In light of the current security situation in Iran, China’s Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates in Iran remind Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to Iran for the time being,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Chinese nationals currently in Iran are advised to strengthen safety precautions and evacuate as soon as possible.”

China now joins the growing list of countries that have issued warnings to citizens to avoid or leave Iran and other countries in the Middle East likely to be caught in the crossfire should the US follow through on its threat to attack.

Since the start of the year, the US has been amassing troops and equipment in the Middle East in what has been described as the largest such deployment in over two decades. The tension between both countries heightened after President Donald Trump told Iranian protesters that “help” was on the way, threatening to bomb Iran should it try to suppress protesters. But he appeared to have eventually stepped back, saying that the execution of protesters had stopped.

The US has claimed that its planned unprovoked attack was to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons, but analysts have described that as a smokesscreen, especially as President Trump, in his first term, unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal that Iran had with global powers to prevent it from having a nuclear weapon. Iran has also repeatedly stated that its nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes.

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The sixth round of negotiations between Iran and the US, which Mr Trump expected would compel Iran to agree to a “meaningful deal,” failed to reach a diplomatic breakthrough. Although Mr Trump issued a 10-15-day ultimatum last week Friday, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Friday, at the conclusion of the indirect talks, said some key differences persist.

Iran has promised to respond “decisively” to US military aggression. On Thursday, the spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, cautioned Washington against any “unwise actions,” stating that it would trigger a response from Iran’s Armed Forces “never experienced before in history.”

China, a long-time ally of Iran, maintains trade relations with the country despite heavy US sanctions. It had earlier warned against US aggression in Iran, stating that any reckless military behaviour would have serious consequences on the region.

“The use of force cannot solve problems. Any acts of military adventurism will only push the region into an abyss of unpredictability,” China’s permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong, said.

Other countries have also asked their non-emergency workers and families to leave the country or other countries likely to be caught in the crossfire. Earlier on Friday, the UK and Canadian governments confirmed that staff at their embassy in Tehran have been temporarily withdrawn.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the US Embassy in Israel also asked its non-emergency workers and families of workers to leave Israel. It issued a travel advisory, urging US citizens to reconsider travelling to both Israel and Lebanon in the West Bank.

On Wednesday, Australia instructed the families of its diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave.