Following a call made by the leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have called for a de-escalation of the Israeli-Iranian conflict.
After their shared geopolitical rival, the United States, indicated it had not ruled out joining Israel’s strikes on Iran, the presidents on Thursday showed a united front in their response to the escalating crisis.
In a thinly veiled reference to Washington during the call, Xi demanded “major powers” to calm the conflict. Russia, which has a strategic cooperation agreement with Tehran, claims that it has been pressing the US not to attack Iran because it would significantly destabilize the region and increase the chance of nuclear war.
Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, said to reporters that Putin and Xi “strongly condemn Israel’s actions, which are against the UN Charter and other international law norms,” according to news reports.
Both leaders “fundamentally believe that there is no military solution to the current situation and issues relating to Iran’s nuclear program,” he said, adding that a solution “must be achieved only through political and diplomatic means.”
Putin has offered to help his country with the Iran nuclear program, but he has not yet accepted his offer.
Putin reiterated his suggestion to mediate the conflict, and Xi expressed his support during the call, according to Ushakov, “because he believes it could de-escalate the current acute situation.”
During the call, Xi demanded that all parties, “especially Israel,” “cease hostilities as soon as possible to stop a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,” according to Chinese state media.
According to Chinese state media, he further stated that “major countries” with “special influence” in the region should increase their diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation in an ostensible reference to the US.
“Rough edges”
The leaders also made comments about the apparent friction between Western leaders at the most recent G7 summit in Canada, according to Ushakov.
According to the Reuters news agency, the Kremlin aide said, “They noted the well-known rough edges that emerged in the relations between participants.”
The G7, a loose association of major industrialized democracies, met on Tuesday to conclude its most recent summit without leaders issuing a joint statement in support of Ukraine, as it has done in recent years.
Trump left the summit a day earlier than expected, making vehement remarks about Iran on his return, which heightened concerns about US involvement in the conflict.
Cooperation between Iran and Russia
In January, Moscow and Tehran signed a protracted-looking strategic cooperation agreement, strengthening ties between the allies who oppose the United States.
Russia has supported Iran’s contentious nuclear program, which Tehran claims is for peaceful civilian purposes, despite the fact that it has not yet provided it with weapons.
Putin stated on Thursday that an agreement had been reached with Israel regarding their safety and that more than 200 Russians were still employed at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.
At a summit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Xi made his first public remarks about the crisis, saying he was “deeply concerned” about Israel’s military operation against Iran.
We’re witnessing a coordinated war against the entire nation, it seems. Tohid Asadi of Al Jazeera reports that Israel has been attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities and civilian areas from Tehran.
Donald Trump, the head of the United States, said to reporters that he thought Iran was “very close” to developing nuclear weapons as he left the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Tuesday.
This contradicted US intelligence reports. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s director of national intelligence, unmistakably told US lawmakers that Iran was not pursuing nuclear weapons on March 25.
According to her, “The intelligence community continues to determine that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons, and that Supreme Leader [Ali] Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003,” she said, referring to a group of US spy agencies that collaborate to conduct these assessments.
Trump’s latest remarks also mark a shift from his position on Iran last month when he said the US and Iran were close to securing a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Trump’s views on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and whether the US is ready to engage in its conflict with Israel have changed even through the course of the Iran-Israel conflict, which was in its seventh day on Thursday.
Iranian military and nuclear installations were attacked by Israel on Friday, but Trump administration officials later confirmed that the US was not involved.
Since then, however, Trump has indicated that the US might become involved in Israel’s conflict with Iran, leaving allies and adversaries guessing what the next action will be. Israel wants US assistance in particular in supplying “bunker buster” bombs that would allow its forces to elude the mountainous Fordow nuclear facility in northwest Iran.
Trump declined to specify whether the US would support the conflict on Wednesday.
“I may do it. I’m not sure if I do it. He told reporters outside the White House, “Nobody knows what I’m going to do”.
Later, Trump said Iranian officials wanted to visit Washington for talks. He claimed that although such discussions are “a little late,” “we may do that.”
Many in Trump’s MAGA base, which is named after his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” are concerned about his dovish stance toward Iran. Those concerned supporters believe US involvement in a fresh war goes against Trump’s campaign promise of putting America First and of staying out of conflicts involing others.
[Al Jazeera]
Since resuming his presidency in January, how has Trump’s position changed:
February: Trump ‘ restores maximum pressure ‘ on Iran
Trump’s presidential memorandum on national security, which “requires absolute pressure” on Tehran, was released on February 4th, with the intention of “denying Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon” and “containing Iran’s malign influence abroad.
Trump made it clear that he was reluctant to use force, preferring to seek a diplomatic solution through negotiations.
While the memorandum lacked details on what “maximum pressure” would entail and hinted that measures could be tough, Trump also said he was “torn” and “unhappy” about signing it and added that he hoped “it’s not going to have to be used in any great measure at all”.
Trump claims that a nuclear deal is in the works with Iran on May 15.
Trump’s diplomatic stance appeared to be holding during his Gulf tour last month. Trump said the US had engaged in “very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace”. He added that Tehran and Washington “kind of” agreed on the nuclear deal’s terms.
“We’re on the verge of making a deal.” … There]are] two steps to doing this: There is a very, very nice step, and there is the violent step, but I don’t want to do it the second way”, he said.
Trump warns Iran about Houthi attacks on May 17.
Trump launched the attack on social media two days after making claims that he was close to reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN”, Trump wrote.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen launched attacks on Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Israel itself over Israel’s ongoing conflict with Gaza in recent months.
Trump warns Netanyahu of an Iranian attack on May 28.
On May 28, Trump seemed to have reversed this stance again, however, when he said he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on any strike on Iran because it “would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a]diplomatic] solution]on Iran’s nuclear status]”.
June 13: Trump administration claims that the US isn’t involved in Iranian attacks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that “Israel unilaterally attacked Iran tonight. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region”.
Rubio continued, “Let me be clear: Iran shouldn’t harm US personnel or interests.”
Trump calls for Iran’s surrender on June 17 and calls Khamenei an “easy target.”
On Tuesday, Trump’s anti-Iran rhetoric switched gears again. Unconventional SURRENDER is a phrase he made on his Truth Social platform about Iran!
He cited Khamenei as saying in a separate post that “we know where the so-called ” Supreme Leader ” is hiding.” He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill! for the time being, at least not yet. However, we oppose firing missiles at American soldiers or civilians. Our patience is wearing thin. I appreciate you paying attention to this issue.
Trump stated to reporters that he preferred a ceasefire between Israel and Iran over a real solution to the Iran-related nuclear debate, which Tehran denies.
The White House released a statement saying Trump has “never wavered in his stance that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon”. Trump said Iran should not possess nuclear weapons from 2011 to Tuesday, according to the statement.
June 18: “I may do it.” I may not ‘
Trump said, “I may do it,” when questioned on Wednesday about potential US involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict. I’m not sure if I do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do”.
Iran’s response to this
Iran has argued that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and is only intended for civilian purposes, citing a Khamenei religious edict that forbids the production of weapons because it is against Islamic law.
On Wednesday, Khamenei rejected Trump’s calls for surrender in his first televised message since Israel began its attacks on Iran. According to Khamenei, “any US military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable harm.”
Iran’s nuclear facilities have a 60% uranium enrichment rate, which is close to the 90 percent required to produce nuclear weapons.
However, like US intelligence reports, the United Nations nuclear watchdog also said it has found no evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons production. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general, Rafael Grossi, stated that “we did not have any proof of a systematic effort to move into nuclear weapons.”
In his first term, what position did Trump adopt regarding Iran and nuclear weapons?
Tensions were generally high between Iran and Trump during the US president’s first term:
After Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, tensions continue in 2018 and 2019.
Trump made the announcement in 2018 that the US had withdrawn from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and a group of nations led by the US, in 2015. The group also consisted of the European Union, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom.
In exchange for the complete lifting of sanctions, the agreement prohibited uranium enrichment at Fordow and limited nuclear technology’s peaceful development in Iran for energy production. For fifteen years, Iran agreed to abstain from any uranium enrichment or research at Fordow. It also agreed not to keep any nuclear material there but instead to “convert the Fordow facility into a nuclear, physics and technology centre”.
But since then, tensions between Iran and the US have grown.
A US contractor was killed and several US service members were hurt in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base in December 2019, along with Iraqi military personnel. US officials blamed the Iran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah for the attack.
The US military attacked locations in Iraq and Syria in response to Kataib Hezbollah’s attacks the same month.
Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in Tehran, Iran, on January 3, 2023 [File: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters]
2020: The killing of Soleimani and its aftermath
In a drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020, the US killed Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force. The White House claimed that this action was taken to prevent Iranian attack plans in the future because Soleimani was accused of “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
On January 9, 2020, Trump said Soleimani had been killed “because they were looking to blow up our embassy” in Baghdad.
If Iran attacked the US or its assets, the US also threatened to severely attack Iranian websites. 40, 000 to 50, 000 soldiers are stationed at 19 military installations in the Middle East, according to the US.
In March 2020, three soldiers belonging to a US-led coalition were killed in a rocket attack at the Taji military base housing US and coalition troops near Baghdad. Iran is now the subject of a new round of sanctions from the US.
“This man absolutely ought not to be around forever.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was threatened by Israel’s defense minister after Iranian missiles struck Israel. Numerous injuries were caused by the missiles, which also damaged a hospital, a high-rise, and several residential structures.
Iranian TV host’s live broadcast was interrupted by an Israeli bombing, and Israeli social media users made up videos that imitated her clothes and reaction to the attack that went viral. Some people criticized the videos as “despicable” displays of war crimes.
According to a joint statement from the two nations and the US Department of State, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have signed a provisional agreement aimed at bringing an end to the conflict in eastern DRC.
Following “three days of constructive dialogue regarding political, security, and economic interests,” the statement said, the development occurred late on Wednesday in Washington, DC.
Disarmament, non-state armed group integration, and the return of refugees and internally displaced people are among the issues that the draft agreement addresses.
Armed groups fighting for access to natural resources have been rife in Eastern DRC for decades. The largest city of Goma, the mineral-rich area’s largest city, was taken over by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in January. The group seized Bukavu, a strategic town, a few weeks later. Rwanda denies supporting the rebels.
Since the conflict started to escalate earlier this year, thousands of people have been killed in the area and hundreds of thousands have fled.
A number of conflict-related parties have been accused of violating human rights.
Amnesty International accused M23 of torturing and killing civilians in a report that was released in May.
According to Amnesty, “These acts may amount to war crimes because they violate international humanitarian law.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk claimed on Monday that rebels, DRC troops, and allies have all committed human rights violations.
Turk urged all parties to “commit to a ceasefire, resume negotiations, and respect international humanitarian and human rights law.”
The US hopes to put an end to the conflict and allow Western investors to invest billions of dollars in eastern DRC, which has large cobalt, copper, gold, and lithium reserves.
The “win-win” scenario, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, includes the two objectives of peace and investment.
US envoy to Africa, Massad Boulos, traveled to Rwanda and the DRC in April as part of the diplomatic mission. He urged Kigali to stop supporting the M23 rebels during his visit.
Since 2021, the African nations have reached at least six truces, but none have been lasting.
In March, Angola resigned from its mediatorship, and the US and Qatar are currently leading efforts to bring about peace in the eastern DRC.
