China warns of chaos and a “vicious circle” if the Iran war continues

The Chinese Foreign Ministry warned on Monday that the Middle East could “fall into chaos” if the war on Iran intensifies.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in response to a journalist’s question about the deadline given by US President Donald Trump to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, “If the conflict continues to expand and the situation escalates again, the entire region could fall into chaos. Force will only lead to a vicious circle.”

On Saturday, Trump threatened to “wipe out” Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully reopened within 48 hours.

But on Monday, Trump extended the deadline, saying he would postpone any military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days following “productive talks” with Iran.

The Chinese special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, warned of the intolerable consequences of closing the Strait of Hormuz, following a recent visit to the region and holding talks with Arab countries.

He said that China gets almost half of its energy supplies from the region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin said the situation “dealt a blow to global energy security and trade.”

He called on the countries involved in the conflict to “immediately stop military operations and prevent regional turmoil from causing a greater impact on global economic growth,” adding that China is in contact with the parties to de-escalate the situation.