China's Li Qiang Slams US-Israeli Strikes on Iran as 'Blatant Aggression', Backs Revival of Pakistan-Brokered Islamabad Deal

 

DUSHANBE: Chinese Premier Li Qiang has condemned the United States and Israel's military campaign against Iran as "blatant aggression" carried out during negotiations and without United Nations Security Council authorisation, throwing Beijing's weight behind reviving the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad agreement, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.

Main News Report

• The meeting: Li met Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref on Monday in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the sidelines of the 25th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Council of Heads of Government, IRNA, Press TV and ISNA reported.
• The condemnation: Li described the US-Israeli actions against Iran as "a blatant aggression that took place in the midst of negotiations and without a mandate from the United Nations Security Council", according to IRNA.
• Sanctions stance: The Chinese premier reaffirmed Beijing's firm opposition to unilateral American sanctions on Iran and said China sought the revival of the Islamabad Agreement, IRNA and ISNA reported.
• Rights pledge: Li pledged China's firm support for defending Iran's legitimate rights in international forums, citing the two countries' longstanding ties, IRNA reported.
• Beijing's line: China's Xinhua news agency reported Li as stressing that the sovereignty and security of all countries must be respected, and urging all sides to choose peace, resume dialogue at an early date and settle differences through political and diplomatic means, Press TV reported.
• Xi weighs in: President Xi Jinping separately said the Middle East war — triggered by the late-February US-Israeli strikes — was causing serious losses and did not serve global interests, the Daily Star reported, via Gulf News.

Background Context

The war began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting Tehran to effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil shipping lane. After a ceasefire in April and its collapse in July, Pakistan brokered a 14-point interim deal in June under which Tehran would dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium, Washington-backed oil sanctions would be waived and Hormuz traffic would flow freely — with both sides given 60 days to reach a broader settlement, AFP reported.

The weekend's renewed strikes tested that fragile arrangement. Iran has since rejected US President Donald Trump's claim of a Tuesday meeting in Doha, saying no talks with Washington are planned "at any level", while an Iranian expert delegation is expected in the Qatari capital to press on the frozen-assets file. Al Jazeera's Tuesday live coverage quoted Trump as saying the US was hitting Iran hard "economically and militarily" while praising Russia's "very positive" stance of staying out of the conflict.

The Dushanbe gathering brings together the prime ministers of the SCO states on October 19-20, with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in attendance for bilateral meetings on the sidelines, Dawn reported — putting Islamabad at the same table as the new Sino-Iranian signalling.

Reactions and Statements

Li Qiang, Chinese premier: "What has occurred against Iran by the Zionist regime and the US is a blatant aggression that took place in the midst of negotiations and without a mandate from the United Nations Security Council," ISNA quoted him as telling Aref. He added that Beijing's positions in condemning Washington and Tel Aviv and defending Iran's legitimate rights were "completely clear and resolute".

Mohammad Reza Aref, Iranian first vice president: Arrived in Dushanbe on Monday for the two-day SCO prime ministers' meeting, where he is also scheduled to meet several counterparts on the sidelines, IRNA reported.

Donald Trump, US president: Told reporters the US was hitting Iran "very hard... economically and militarily", adding that Russia's Vladimir Putin was "laying off Iran and that's nice" and calling Moscow's posture "very positive", Al Jazeera reported.

Pakistan: As the broker of the Islamabad memorandum and a mediator between Washington and Tehran, Islamabad has the most to gain from Beijing's public backing for the deal's revival — Deputy Prime Minister Dar's presence in Dushanbe keeps Pakistan inside the diplomatic circuit, Dawn reported.

Why This News Matters

• Validation for Pakistan's mediation: China is Pakistan's closest strategic partner; its explicit call to revive the Islamabad Agreement is the strongest external endorsement yet of Pakistan's diplomacy — and raises the cost for Washington of sidelining the deal.
• A harder diplomatic line from Beijing: Framing the strikes as a UN Charter violation committed mid-negotiation goes beyond routine calls for restraint and aligns China openly with Tehran's legal narrative.
• Energy and the Pakistani consumer: With Brent crude trading near $110 a barrel and Hormuz still the world's key oil artery, any hardening of positions feeds directly into Pakistan's fuel import bill — days after Islamabad cut petrol and diesel prices under its daily pricing regime.
• Sanctions relief in play: Beijing's opposition to unilateral sanctions dovetails with Tehran's push to unlock frozen assets, including the $6 billion President Pezeshkian says will be released via Qatar.

Future Developments

The SCO prime ministers' meeting continues in Dushanbe on Tuesday, with further bilaterals — and Dar's own meetings — likely to sharpen the diplomatic picture. All eyes remain on Doha, where Iran's expert delegation is expected to press the frozen-assets file even as Tehran denies any meeting with US envoys. With the 60-day window for a broader agreement narrowing and both sides trading warnings over Hormuz — including an Iranian threat to undersea communication cables reported by Al Jazeera — Beijing's intervention sets up the next test: whether Washington answers diplomacy with diplomacy, or with more pressure.

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