The military strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran severely violate the international law and basic norms governing international relations, Jiang Bin, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
"Without authorization from the UN Security Council, the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran during the Iran-U.S. negotiation process, which severely violate the international law and basic norms governing international relations. China firmly opposes any infringement on the sovereignty and security of other countries, and opposes the abuse of armed forces and the law of the jungle. We are deeply concerned about the protracted warring state and its spillover on neighboring countries. We always believe that force is not the right way to settle international disputes, and there is no winner in prolonging or even escalating the conflict, which will only push the Middle East situation into a dangerous abyss, bringing even greater catastrophe to the people of all countries in the region. The immediate priority now is for all parties to stop military actions, return to the track of resolving problems through dialog and negotiation, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East and the world," said Jiang.
More than 1,300 civilians have been killed and 9,669 civilian sites destroyed in Iran in the military strikes launched by the United States and Israel since Feb 28, according to official data released by Iran on Tuesday.
US-Israel strikes on Iran violates international law: spokesman
The Iranian government on Wednesday released footage it says was of missile debris from the deadly school attack in Minab, Iran's southern province of Hormozgan, on Feb 28, providing fresh evidence that the United States military was behind the attack.
The video obtained by China Media Group (CMG) from the Iranian government shows that some of the fragments said to be from the missile are marked with detailed information, including the place of origin, manufacturer and serial number of the parts. Markings such as "Made in USA" and "Raytheon Company" can be clearly seen on the debris.
The United States has repeatedly denied carrying out the attack on the elementary school in Minab, where Iranian state media says at least 165 people were killed, most of them young girls.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reiterated in an exclusive interview with CMG on Tuesday that the school was hit by missiles twice on Feb 28, with the second attack coming as rescuers gathered at the site, resulting in a large number of casualties.
Baghaei said the United States and Israel must be held responsible for such criminal acts.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that an ongoing military investigation has preliminarily determined that the deadly school attack was the result of a targeting error.
Officials briefed on the investigation told the newspaper that officers at the U.S. Central Command generated the strike coordinates using outdated intelligence provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency, leading to the targeting mistake.
The findings are preliminary, and key questions remain unresolved, including why the outdated information was not double-checked, officials quoted by the newspaper said.
Iran says new evidence proves U.S. behind deadly school attack
