China announces its opposition to targeting the new Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei

China announced on Monday its opposition to any targeting of the new Iranian leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, after previous Israeli threats to kill any successor to his father, Ali Khamenei.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Gu Jiaqun said during a regular press conference in response to a question, “China opposes any interference in the internal affairs of other countries, under any pretext, and Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity must be respected.”

Israel had warned that any successor to Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of its joint attack with the United States on Tehran, would be a “target” for it, even before Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen.
US President Donald Trump also said on Sunday that the new supreme leader “will not stay for long” unless he has his approval.

The Chinese spokesman pointed out that the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei is an Iranian internal issue.

He said, “We have seen the information related to this matter. This is a decision taken by the Iranian side in accordance with its constitution.”

The spokesman pointed out that “China urges the parties to immediately stop military operations, resume dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, and avoid any further escalation of tensions.”