The United Nations Security Council met on Thursday to discuss issues related to Iran's nuclear program amid sharp divisions among members over UN sanctions and the escalating crisis in the Middle East.

China's permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong, told the Security Council during a mandated meeting of the 1737 Sanctions Committee that China is "seriously concerned" that the US decision to hold this meeting now will aggravate tensions in the Middle East and harm prospects for a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

"Against the backdrop of renewed fighting in the Middle East and an unprecedentedly complex and severe situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear issue, the president of the council insists on holding this meeting, which will aggravate contradictions and confrontations among all parties and undermine the prospects for a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue," said Fu.

The meeting took place as part of the council's consideration of a sanctions committee established in 2006 to oversee sanctions on Iran's nuclear program. The committee was required to report to the council every 90 days.

The committee was suspended under Resolution 2231 following the 2015 Iran nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

In August, France, Germany and the UK, known as the E3, triggered the JCPOA's "snapback" mechanism to restore UN sanctions, following the United States' withdrawal from the agreement in 2018. Israel, the United States and several European countries say Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran denies this.

The US, which holds the council presidency this month, convened the meeting to resume reporting by the sanctions committee. While the US on Thursday accused China and Russia of "blocking" the committee's work, the two countries opposed the move, saying the committee no longer exists.

"China has repeatedly pointed out that the E3's attempt to trigger the snapback mechanism has procedural and legal flaws. Resolution 2231 expired on Oct 18 last year, and the Security Council has terminated its consideration of the Iranian nuclear issue," said Fu.

Fu added that China supports the procedural motion proposed by Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya and "does not intend to comment on the work of the committee".

"The United States and Israel must immediately stop military operations, refrain from attacking Iranian facilities under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, avoid further escalation and prevent the conflict from spreading across the Middle East," said Fu.

He said the crisis was "triggered by the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA" and by its military actions with Israel during negotiations with Iran, saying the US' actions "violate international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter".

"European countries should stop fueling the tension and play a constructive role in easing the situation," Fu added.

Fu said the Security Council's actions "cannot serve as a tool for sanctions or the political agenda of individual countries" and "countries should stop politicizing the council".

minluzhang@chinadailyusa.com

South Africa is bracing for impacts from heightened tensions in the Middle East, including soaring energy prices, logistics disruptions and rising trade costs.

Raymond Parsons, a lecturer at South Africa's North-West University Business School, said the energy shock from the Middle East "immediately raises red flags" for the economic outlook of many countries, although some economies are more vulnerable than others.

"Western Cape exporters and the agricultural sector are already reporting logistical disruptions and rising input costs as a result of the Middle East war," Parsons said.

The latest cargo movement update by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders said the shipping sector is facing pronounced cost-push inflation as expenses rise sharply across several areas.

The report noted that prices for bunker fuel, used by ships, are surging in line with global oil market volatility, while elevated war-risk premiums and conflict-related surcharges are increasingly driving up costs of both imports and exports.

It also highlighted growing capacity constraints, as longer voyage distances and schedule disruptions reduce effective global shipping capacity and increase inventory risks for traders.

Dawie Roodt, an economist in South Africa, said two domestic vulnerabilities could worsen the impact in South Africa: reduced refinery capacity and uncertainty over the country's strategic fuel reserves.

He noted that the country is increasingly dependent on imported refined products such as diesel, which is currently in short supply globally.

According to South Africa's Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, diesel, which powers most of South Africa's land-based freight transport, rose by between 62 and 65 cents ($0.03) per liter, translating to an increase of more than 3 percent.

'Rule of thumb'

Parsons explained that the International Monetary Fund uses "rule of thumb", suggesting that an oil price of $100 per barrel could shave about 0.4 percent off global growth, while adding about 1.2 percent to global inflation.

"Vulnerable economies on the energy front range from the EU to Thailand and South Africa," Parsons said, noting that South Africa is a net importer of petroleum, with much of it sourced from the United Arab Emirates and India.

The impact, he said, will depend on which economies are large energy importers, how long the conflict lasts, and how long oil prices remain high. He warned that if the conflict persists, fuel prices could continue to rise and affect South Africa and other countries.

"With the present combination of a weakening rand against the dollar, together with higher oil prices, the risks to fuel prices for South Africa in the near future are therefore firmly on the upside. These outcomes will have negative implications for inflation, growth, and business confidence."

South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said in a statement on Tuesday night that it is "closely monitoring developments" in the Middle East and their possible effect on global oil markets and fuel prices.

"Unfortunately, the continued rise in international crude oil prices is expected to result in higher fuel prices at the pump from April 2026," the statement said.

Thembisa Fakude, director at Africa-Asia Dialogues, an intellectual think tank on geopolitics in South Africa, said the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz would have a "ripple effect" on South Africa and other countries.

He noted that South Africa trades extensively with Gulf countries and that the conflict is already affecting the movement of goods.

Edith Mutethya in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this story.

The escalating conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran continued to ratchet up tensions on Friday as it was about to enter its third week. The death toll has surpassed 2,000 people across the region amid growing global concerns about a possible energy crisis.

The Red Cross Society of China will provide the Iranian Red Crescent Society with $200,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance as special funds to offer condolences and support to the parents of students killed in an attack on a girls' primary school in southern Iran.

"We express our deep condolences over the deaths of the students killed at the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Iran's Hormozgan Province and extend our sincere sympathies to their families," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday, announcing the aid.

"Attacking schools and harming children constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and gravely offends the moral conscience of humanity."

According to media reports, an ongoing military investigation has preliminarily determined that a US missile hit an Iranian primary school. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said 175 people, including children, were killed in the strike.

Iran's navy said on Friday that it had earlier launched a coastal anti-ship missile at the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln roughly 340 kilometers off Iran's maritime borders in the Sea of Oman. Iran's state TV reported that in the wake of the strike, the US vessel and its accompanying strike group were seen "fleeing the area at high speed".

But the claim was quickly dismissed by US officials, who said there was no evidence the warship had been targeted or struck. The US has deployed two aircraft carriers — the other being the USS Gerald R. Ford — to the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump said oil tankers should "show some guts" and sail through the Strait of Hormuz, even as Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday that the US military was currently "not ready" to escort commercial tankers through the vital waterway.

Oil prices have hovered around the $100 per barrel mark even though the International Energy Agency has agreed to coordinate the release of a record 400 million barrels from petroleum reserves worldwide, marking the largest such release in the agency's history.

Analysts said that the growing gridlock of roughly 1,000 ships trapped in the Persian Gulf amounts to a shipping logjam that threatens to eclipse the scale of the "tanker war crisis" of the 1980s Iran-Iraq War.

Energy crisis looms

Traders are bracing for weeks, if not months, of turmoil in energy markets amid scant signs of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough, said retired Royal Navy officer Tom Sharpe. While 150 ships typically transit the Strait of Hormuz daily to maintain normal energy supplies, only a trickle of vessels is navigating the route at present.

"There was a much higher tolerance to run the gauntlet back then but the threat was less and the Iranians had nothing like the (missile and drone) arsenal they have now, which is more like the tanker wars on steroids," Sharpe said.

Heavy exchanges of drones and missiles rippled across the region on Friday. To date, more than 600 people have been killed in Lebanon, over 1,300 in Iran, and a dozen in Israel. At least seven US service members have lost their lives in the fighting. Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said on Friday that its forces had intercepted more than 50 drones, including one targeting the Diplomatic Quarter in its capital.

In the UAE, debris fell on the facade of a building in central Dubai on Friday morning. The Dubai Media Office said no injuries were reported after what it described as a "minor incident". Since the Iranian attacks on the Emirates began, the country has "engaged" 278 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,540 drones.

In Iraq, a US military refueling plane crashed on Thursday, though the US military said it was "not due to hostile fire or friendly fire". However, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, said it downed the aircraft with a missile, killing all crew members on board.

In another sign of the war's spread, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of the country's first soldier in Iraq's Erbil region.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn.

The escalating conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran continued to ratchet up tensions on Friday as it nearly enters the third week. The death toll has surpassed 2,000 people across the region amid growing global concerns about a possible energy crisis.

The Red Cross Society of China will provide the Iranian Red Crescent Society with $200,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance, specifically to offer condolences and support to the parents of students killed in an attack on a girls' primary school in southern Iran.

"We express our deep condolences over the death of the students killed at the Shajareh Tayebeh primary school in Iran's Hormozgan province and extend our sincere sympathies to their families," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday.

"Attacking schools and harming children constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and gravely offends the moral conscience of humanity."

According to media reports, an ongoing military investigation has preliminarily determined that a US Tomahawk missile strike that hit an Iranian primary school, killing more than 160 people — most of them pupils — resulted from a target error.

Iran's navy said on Friday that it had earlier launched a coastal anti-ship missile at the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln roughly 340 kilometers off Iran's maritime borders in the Sea of Oman. Iran's state TV reported that in the wake of the strike, the US vessel and its accompanying strike group were seen "fleeing the area at high speed".

But the claim was quickly dismissed by US officials, who said there was no evidence the warship had been targeted or struck. The US has deployed two aircraft carriers — the other being the USS Gerald R. Ford — to the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump said oil tankers should "show some guts" and sail through the Strait of Hormuz, even as Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday that the US military was currently "not ready" to escort commercial tankers through the vital waterway.

Oil prices have hovered around the $100 per barrel mark even though the International Energy Agency has agreed to coordinate the release of a record 400 million barrels from petroleum reserves worldwide, marking the largest such release in the agency's history.

Analysts said that the growing gridlock of roughly 1,000 ships trapped in the Persian Gulf amounts to a shipping logjam that threatens to eclipse the scale of the "tanker war crisis" of the 1980s Iran-Iraq War.

Traders are bracing for weeks, if not months, of turmoil in energy markets amid scant signs of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough, said retired Royal Navy officer Tom Sharpe. While 150 ships typically transit the Strait of Hormuz daily to maintain normal energy supplies, only a trickle of vessels is navigating the route at present.

"There was a much higher tolerance to run the gauntlet back then but the threat was less and the Iranians had nothing like the (missile and drone) arsenal they have now, which is more like the tanker wars on steroids," Sharpe said.

Heavy exchanges of drones and missiles rippled across the region on Friday. To date, more than 600 people have been killed in Lebanon, over 1,300 in Iran, and a dozen in Israel. At least seven US service members have lost their lives in the fighting.

Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said on Friday that its forces had intercepted more than 50 drones, including one targeting the Diplomatic Quarter in its capital.

In the UAE, debris fell on the facade of a building in central Dubai on Friday morning. Dubai Media Office said no injuries were reported after what it described as a "minor incident". Since the Iranian attacks on the Emirates began, the country has "engaged" 278 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,540 drones.

In Iraq, a US military KC-135 refueling plane crashed on Thursday, though the US military said it was "not due to hostile fire or friendly fire". However, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, said it downed the aircraft with a missile, killing all crew members on board.

In another sign of the war's spread, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of the country's first soldier in Iraq's Erbil region.

"Stop bombing Iran!" "Stop arming Israel!" "Stop the War!" Thousands of anti-war protesters marched through central London on Saturday, a week after the United States and Israel started a war on Iran with airstrikes that killed Iranian leaders as well as hundreds of civilians.

Drums, chants, and flags filled the street as demonstrators rallied in front of the US Embassy in the United Kingdom at Nine Elms Lane, where Lindsey German, convener of the Stop the War coalition, spoke on the stage: "This war is spreading, and we will pay the price!

"We will pay the price in terms of weapons. We will pay the price because of the energy crisis, and we will pay the human cost because terrorism will grow as a result of these attacks ...

"Our message to (UK Prime Minister) Keir Starmer is very clear: Stop appeasing (US President) Donald Trump all the way to World War III … Stop letting British bases be used for America's deadly, illegal attacks!"

Similar rallies were also held in several cities across Europe, including in Madrid, Paris, and Milan, over the weekend, reflecting a growing anti-war public sentiment, which has also been fueled by recent US military action against Venezuela and the threat to annex the Arctic island of Greenland.

Experts have urged Europe to pursue diplomacy to halt a spiraling conflict that is significantly undermining European security and economic interests, while countries' different relations with the US complicate their responses.

Last week, Spain's denial of the US to use its military bases triggered a direct trade embargo threat from the US president. However, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez didn't back down, reiterating that the position of his government can be summed up as "No to war".

In a speech on national television, Sanchez reminded the public about the result of Spain's involvement in the US-led invasion in Iraq in 2003.

"The world, Europe and Spain have been here before. Twenty-three years ago, another US administration dragged us into a war in the Middle East," he said. "The war in Iraq provoked a drastic increase in jihadist terrorism, a severe migration crisis in the eastern Mediterranean, and a widespread increase in energy, thus impacting the cost of the shopping basket and the cost of living."

But not all European leaders were as outspoken as Sanchez. While some European leaders have expressed concerns over the legality of the US-Israel attacks and the widening war in the Middle East, they have struggled to respond with a united front.

UK Prime Minister Starmer has said his government made a "deliberate" decision not to be involved in the initial strikes on Iran by the US and Israel and described the action "unlawful", adding that the use of British bases is limited to "defensive" purposes.

France's President Emmanuel Macron stated that US-Israel military operations in Iran were conducted "outside international law".

Koert Debeuf, distinguished adjunct professor in Middle East studies at the Brussels School of Governance, said: "European countries were quite shocked by what the US did — they were not even informed beforehand. But at the same time, they have not reacted very loudly. So I think they are shocked by this development, and they don't really know yet how to respond."

"You can see that they are hesitant to openly criticize the US. We see indirect reactions from leaders such as Germany's Chancellor (Friedrich Merz) and (President of the European Commission) Ursula von der Leyen. They are blaming Iran for the escalation, but they are not directly criticizing the American action," said Debeuf.

Ondrej Dostal, a Czech member of the European Parliament, sharply criticized the reaction of senior European Union officials, including von der Leyen, Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, and President of the European Council Antonio Costa.

"I am deeply shocked by the response of parts of the EU leadership," Dostal said. "Instead of clearly condemning the initial attack, they have inverted the roles of victim and aggressor and rushed to criticize Iran.

"This war will hurt all of us. Many people are already struggling with the rising cost of living, and higher gas and oil prices will only make daily life more difficult," he added.

Oil prices surge

In retaliation for the unprovoked airstrike, Iran has since launched missile and drone attacks against Israel and US military bases in the Gulf region, and blocked vessels belonging to the US, Israel, and European countries from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The near-standstill of maritime freight transport in one of the world's most strategically important energy corridors has now lasted a week.

Around 20 percent of the global oil supply and roughly one-fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas trade pass through the strait.

Energy markets reacted immediately to the shock. Crude oil reached almost $120 a barrel on Monday over fears that the war would cause prolonged disruption to energy supplies from the Middle East. Prices later dived to below $90 following Trump's comments, saying that the war in Iran is "very complete, pretty much". However, on Wednesday, crude oil jumped 4 percent as traders priced in supply disruption.

For Europe, the strait matters, as the continent's reliance on Gulf energy flows has grown considerably since it sharply reduced imports of Russian fossil fuels after 2022.

European natural gas futures on Monday jumped more than 14 percent to over 61 euros ($71) per megawatt-hour, hitting three-year highs, and extending last week's 67 percent surge, Euronews reported. Europe's gas reserves remain low, with EU storage levels below 30 percent and need refilling.

"It shows that European energy supply is more vulnerable to such geopolitical shocks than estimated due to its high dependence on imported fossil fuels … Peace is valuable to every nation of the world. For Europe, it's especially valuable because it saves not only lives, but also daily energy costs," said Qin Yan, a principal analyst at Norway-based ClearBlue Markets.

The war feels much closer when it spills over into everyday life. Motorists across the continent are already feeling it at the pump.

According to the General German Automobile Club, petrol grade Super E10 averaged 1.84 euros per liter on March 2, up 6.1 cents from Feb 27 and the highest level since May 2024. Diesel prices also climbed by 7 cents over the same period, their highest since October 2023.

The situation is somewhat better in Belgium, where a maximum petroleum price system helps prevent sharp increases. Even so, fears of rising fuel costs have prompted many motorists to fill up before prices climb further, leading to long queues at gas stations.

Flights could also become more expensive.

According to the BBC, the Gulf region supplies around half of Europe's jet fuel, and the disruption has caused the continent's benchmark jet fuel price to almost double, reaching heights not seen in recent years. Fuel typically makes up 20 to 40 percent of airlines' operating costs.

Many European airlines secure fuel through contracts that lock in fixed or capped prices months, or even years, in advance. By contrast, a number of large US carriers do not.

But President Trump said on Truth Social, "Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for USA and World, Safety and Peace", and "ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY."

How long the turmoil will last remains to be seen. Yet for Europeans, reassurance is scarce. The "ghosts of the 2022 energy crisis" still loom large as they brace for another shock beyond their control. As Politico wrote in its analysis, "it's all starting to feel very 2022".

Looming refugee crisis

The European Union Agency for Asylum warned on March 3 that conflict in Iran could trigger a refugee influx of "unprecedented magnitude", overwhelming EU borders and asylum systems.

In a report prepared before recent United States and Israeli strikes, it said displacement of just 10 percent of Iran's roughly 90 million people "would rival the largest refugee flows of recent decades".

Since strikes began on Feb 28, the crisis has intensified with further attacks on Tehran and Lebanon. Iranian displacement remains limited, but the agency warned continued fighting could lead to a "significant" escalation.

"We do not want to experience a Syrian scenario here," Merz said at a meeting of German industrial lobby groups in Munich last Friday. He appealed instead to leaders in Washington and Israel "to create the conditions as soon as possible for this country to be stabilized".

Tasha Kheiriddin, a Canadian political columnist, wrote for GZERO Media that the world is a very different place than it was in 2015, when the last exodus to Europe peaked, as governments that initially embraced refugees, including Germany and Sweden, have sharply reversed course in the decade since, adopting far more restrictive policies amid rising anti-immigration sentiment at home.

"We cannot have what we had 10 years ago, we cannot have another refugee crisis," Sweden's Minister for Migration, Johan Forssell, said last Thursday following a gathering of EU interior ministers in Brussels.

Who will take in people forced to flee becomes a prominent question.

The global displacement crisis is already at historic levels. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 123 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by the end of 2024 due to conflict, persecution and disasters — the highest number ever recorded — and the trend shows no sign of slowing.

The US is taking a similar "closed-door approach", Kheiriddin noted. The US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told a press conference last week that there were no plans to admit refugees and suggested a number of countries in the Middle East "would be capable" of sheltering displaced people "if need be".

Conflicting interests

In addition to the surge of energy costs and possible refugee crisis, Jian Junbo, a researcher with the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, pointed out that the US-Israel attack on Iran threatens European interests in the Middle East, as many European countries have significant investments in the region, along with large numbers of citizens living and working there.

"Any escalation could therefore put both economic assets and the safety of European nationals at risk," he said, adding that the crisis also exposes divisions within Europe, as European countries have taken different positions on both Iran and US actions.

Within two days of the beginning of the war, more than 100,000 British nationals had registered concerns with consular authorities in the Middle East, while Ireland's foreign ministry estimated some 20,000 of its nationals were stuck in the conflict zone.

According to Euractiv, ten EU countries, including Italy, France, and Belgium, have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism which provides logistical support, expertise and EU co-financing for evacuation flights.

Both the UK and France have been moving their warships to the conflict region to protect their citizens, assets, and partners.

However, Song Luzheng, a France-based scholar and commentator, pointed out that the latest US-Israeli military action against Iran has only received limited support from European allies.

"Europe has offered little backing for Washington, either diplomatically or operationally, which has clearly frustrated the US," said Song.

"For many Europeans, Iran itself is not the primary threat; rather, it is the United States under Donald Trump. Although Europe also opposes Iran, Washington's approach is widely seen as a serious disruption to the international order. This has become a major source of tension between Europe and the US," he added.

After the use of force against Venezuela and the threat to annex Greenland, the latest attack on Iran has severely shaken US credibility as a reliable ally for European countries, and pushed Europe to be a more autonomous geopolitical actor.

"However, in the short term, European governments have little incentive to escalate tensions with Washington over a war they neither initiated nor control … For now, Europe's strategy is likely to remain one of cautious distance: avoiding direct involvement in the conflict while focusing on the priorities that matter most to the continent itself," wrote Matthias Matthijs, senior fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank.

"That may not make for a particularly inspiring display of strategic leadership. But from the perspective of European policymakers, it may also be the most realistic option available at the moment," he said.

Contact the writers at xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn

What they said

"Firstly, we reject the breach of international law that protects us all, especially the most vulnerable members, the civilian population. Secondly, we must not assume that the world can only solve its problems through conflict and bombs. And finally, we must not repeat the mistakes of the past. In short, the position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war (No a la guerra)."

"An endless war is not in our interest. The same applies to a collapse of Iranian statehood or proxy conflicts fought on Iranian soil … Such scenarios could have far-reaching consequences for Europe, including for security, energy supply and migration."

"I think we have to deal with a situation in which the rules of international law have objectively broken down. I don't think they broke down with this episode because there are many precedents, but the situation is certainly one of great chaos."

"We are now seeing a regional conflict with unintended consequences. And the spillover is already a reality today – whether on energy and finance, trade and transport, or the displacement of people … And the longer-term impact is already posing existential questions. On the future of our international rules-based system, or on how Europe finds unity in these situations."

The Red Cross Society of China will provide the Iranian Red Crescent Society with $200,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance, specifically to offer condolences and support to the parents of students killed after a girls' primary school in southern Iran was struck during the US-Israeli military operation against Iran.

"We express our deep condolences over the death of the students killed at the Shajareh Tayebeh primary school in Iran's Hormozgan province and extend our sincere sympathies to their families," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday.

Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Guo said China stands ready to continue providing Iran with necessary assistance in the spirit of humanitarianism and to support the Iranian people in overcoming the current difficulties.

The spokesman said China condemns all indiscriminate attacks on civilians and non-military targets.

"Attacking schools and harming children constitutes an even more serious violation of international humanitarian law and gravely offends the moral conscience of humanity," he said.

According to media reports, an ongoing military investigation has preliminarily determined that a US Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian primary school that killed more than 160 people, most of them pupils, resulted from a target error.

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Thursday that Hezbollah would "pay a heavy price for its aggression."

Speaking at his first press conference after nearly two weeks of the war with Iran, Netanyahu said the Iran-aligned armed group and political party was already feeling "the force of our blows, and it will feel them even more strongly."

His remarks came as Israel pounded Beirut and southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fired dozens of projectiles toward northern Israel amid the conflict with Iran.

During his speech, warning sirens sounded across central Israel, alerting to a missile attack from Iran.

Netanyahu said Iran was suffering "crushing blows" from Israeli strikes, adding that the goals of the operation were to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, among others.

On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.

BEIRUT -- The Israeli military announced on Thursday afternoon that it launched a new series of airstrikes in Beirut targeting Hezbollah targets.

Warnings were issued urging residents to evacuate specific buildings in the Bachoura and Zkak al-Blat areas before the strikes. The targeted building in the latter houses a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which Israel claims Hezbollah uses as a financial arm to fund weapons purchases and pay its fighters.

The warnings and subsequent strikes caused panic among residents and displaced families who had fled earlier Israeli attacks and taken refuge in central Beirut.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Public Health Ministry reported Thursday that the death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon has risen to 687 since March 2, with 1,774 injuries.

It added that the number of paramedics killed reached 18, with 45 others injured.

Also on Thursday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government is working to halt the ongoing war and ensure the safe return of displaced residents.

"We will work around the clock to stop this war and enable you to return to your homes as soon as possible, to a safe and dignified return," Salam said in a speech addressing the country's worsening humanitarian situation.

He also thanked Lebanese communities for hosting displaced families and expressed appreciation to friendly countries for providing humanitarian assistance to ease civilians' suffering.

Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel at dawn on March 2 for the first time since a ceasefire was declared on Nov 27, 2024.

Israel subsequently launched what it described as an "offensive military campaign" against the group, including heavy airstrikes targeting Beirut's southern suburbs and areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as border ground incursions.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, saying the international community broadly agrees that the fighting must stop, and urging all sides to press the parties involved to halt military operations.

Wang made the remarks during a phone call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Thursday.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, warned that prolonging the conflict would only bring greater suffering to the people in the region, deal a heavy blow to regional economies and further undermine international and regional security and stability.

Wang said China and Egypt, as responsible countries, both advocate resolving regional issues through dialogue and consultation and oppose the frequent use of force.

China is willing to maintain communication and coordination with regional countries, including Egypt, and continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace, he added.

Abdelatty said Egypt is deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict and appreciates China's balanced and fair position as well as the role it has played. Egypt is ready to maintain close communication with China and work together to help ease tensions as soon as possible, he said.

Meanwhile, the United States and Iran both signaled that there will be no quick end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which was triggered by joint US and Israeli strikes against Iran nearly two weeks ago, killing nearly 2,000 people so far and throwing the entire Gulf region, global energy markets and international shipping into disarray.

Despite what the US described as the most intense wave of airstrikes since the war began on Feb 28, Iran launched a new round of attacks on Gulf energy targets on Thursday. The strikes came hours after two oil tankers were hit off the coast of Iraq, sending crude prices surging amid a record release of emergency oil reserves by the International Energy Agency.

Iranian authorities reported over 1,300 fatalities on their side, while Israel has confirmed 12 deaths. The US has lost seven soldiers, with another eight suffering serious injuries.

In a message posted on social media on Wednesday night, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war could only be resolved through a clear set of conditions. "The only way to end this war … is recognizing Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression," he wrote.

However, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US has already won the conflict and that US forces would "finish the job".

Earlier on Wednesday, Iran's military vowed to launch strikes against US and Israeli economic interests in the region, including banks, while an Iranian news agency listed tech giants as possible "future targets", prompting some international companies to evacuate staff members.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil supplies pass, has effectively been closed after Iran vowed not to allow even a single liter of oil to be exported from the Gulf as long as the US-Israeli offensive continued.

Oil prices surged past $100 a barrel on Thursday, despite the IEA authorizing a record release of strategic crude reserves, pledging to make 400 million barrels available from stockpiles of member nations. IEA member countries currently hold more than 1.2 billion barrels of emergency oil stocks, with an additional 600 million barrels in industry stocks held under government obligation. The previous largest collective emergency stock release by the IEA was 182.7 million barrels after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine in 2022.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn

The majority of the American public disapproves of US President Donald Trump's decision to attack Iran, with many among his support base saying he broke his campaign promises.

"He ran on no more wars, end these stupid, senseless wars, and then we have one that we can't even really clearly define why we did it," Joe Rogan, a Trump supporter in 2024 and an influential podcaster with more than 16 million followers, said on Tuesday.

"I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right?" Rogan said.

Trump campaigned largely on an "America First" policy and called US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan "forever wars".

Rogan expressed concern that Iran might employ terrorist attacks within the United States to cause massive harm to Americans in retaliation.

Tucker Carlson, a conservative activist who visits the White House regularly, was reported to have described the airstrike on Iran "absolutely disgusting and evil". He had lobbied Trump against attack on Iran.

A podcast titled Donald Trump has Betrayed America by Candace Owens garnered 2.3 million views with more than 27,000 comments in two days.

Unpopular action

Polls have indicated that public support for a prolonged war with Iran is low.

A CNN poll conducted Feb 28 - March 1 showed that 41 percent of Americans approve of military action against Iran with 59 percent against. In addition, 54 percent Americans believe that US military action in Iran will make Iran more of a threat to the US. Only 28 percent believe the opposite.

More Americans — 60 percent — are against the US sending ground troops into Iran. The support for US military action against Iran dropped to less than 10 percent if such an operation will result in a broader conflict in the Middle East, higher oil and gas prices, or US troops getting killed.

An NPR/PBS survey of about 1,600 people in the week following the initial strikes showed that 56 percent of Americans were against the military action and only 36 percent approved of Trump's handling of the Iran War.

Some Americans are worried that by initiating this attack on Iran, Trump has put the US in an impossible situation no matter what he subsequently chooses to do. They are worried that the US might be sliding into another "endless war" if a quick end can't be achieved.

"If the US withdraws soon, we would look weak because Iran would be able to recoup with more vengeance against the US," said a Houstonian named Michael. "The public, including many of Trump's base, are against boots on the ground in Iran because not much good came out of our expensive occupations in Iraq or Afghanistan. We can't eliminate the Iran threat without considerable military involvement or a new regime friendly to the US. What to do?"

Costs rising

Pentagon officials told lawmakers in a briefing on Capitol Hill that the first week of attacks on Iran had cost $11.3 billion, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Citing people familiar with the briefing, the Times said the estimate did not include costs related to the initial military buildup or personnel before the strikes.

"I've heard the $1 billion a day number," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told USA TODAY, adding he couldn't fully confirm its veracity.

"I've asked this question before, and it's been avoided by the top Pentagon officials. They have been totally unforthcoming about the cost. So I'm not holding my breath," he added.

That cost is higher than previous estimates, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies having calculated that the first 100 hours of the operation cost $3.7 billion.

It's possible that Trump could ask Congress for an emergency funding measure, though such a request has not been submitted, USA TODAY reported.

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com

UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council on Wednesday failed to pass a draft resolution urging all parties to immediately stop their military activities and refrain from further escalation in the Middle East and beyond and condemning all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The council rejected the draft resolution, sponsored by Russia, with four votes in favor, two against and nine abstentions. Russia, China, Pakistan and Somalia voted for the draft resolution, while the United States and Latvia voted against it.

"We're deeply disappointed," said Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, noting that many council members were not able to muster enough strength and wisdom to pass the text his country proposed.

Earlier, the Security Council adopted a draft resolution regarding the current crisis in the Middle East, which was triggered by the joint US-Israeli military strikes on Iran that began on Feb 28 and Iran's subsequent retaliation across the region.

The draft resolution, presented by Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), was adopted with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions to condemn the attacks by Iran against GCC countries as well as Jordan, demand Iran immediately cease attacks against them, and determine such acts constitute a breach of international law and a serious threat to international security.

"Let me make it clear: This resolution is a manifest injustice against my country, the main victim of a clear act of aggression," said Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations. "We consider it unjust and unlawful, inconsistent with the United Nations Charter and international law."

More than a week into the strikes in the Middle East, Iran alleged that the United States and Israel had bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites, seemingly contradicting their framing of the attacks as an effort to "free" the Iranian people.

Twelve days into the conflict, Iran widened its warning of legitimate targets to include top US firms with Israeli links whose technology is used for military applications, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

Some of the companies reportedly include Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle, as well as cloud-based services in various Israeli cities, and in some Gulf countries.

Tehran also said it might target US and Israeli economic and banking entities in the region after what it called an attack on an Iranian bank. It was reported that a staff member at a bank in Tehran had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes.

According to Al Jazeera, a spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters said "the enemy left our hands open to targeting economic centers and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime in the region", adding that "people of the region should not be within a 1-kilometer radius of banks".

Earlier this week, Tehran residents were warned of potential exposure to toxic "black rain" after the oil storage attacks over the weekend and were advised to stay indoors.

Iran's Red Crescent Society said rainfall in Tehran, home to about 10 million people, could be "highly dangerous and acidic" and issued guidelines for residents in case they were exposed.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had earlier warned that the escalating conflict in the Middle East, and the effects on public health, "are of great concern".

He said damage to petroleum facilities in Iran risks contaminating food, water and air — hazards that can have severe health impacts, especially on children, older people and people with preexisting medical conditions. The WHO chief noted that rain laden with oil had been reported in parts of the country.

"I urge all parties to de-escalate and prevent further risks to people's health, impacts on health facilities and workers, and a further expansion of the conflict across the region. Peace is always the best medicine," he added.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on the global community to condemn US and Israeli aggression in international forums during his phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin late on Tuesday.

In the United Arab Emirates, air defenses continued to respond to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense said.

Mobile alerts

Before dawn, residents of Dubai received mobile alerts warning of a potential missile strike and urging them to seek shelter. The alerts were later lifted.

The Dubai Media Office reported on Wednesday that at least four people were injured after two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai airport.

On Tuesday, Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on the Middle East issue, visited the UAE and met with the country's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as part of efforts to help de-escalate tensions.

Abdullah briefed Zhai on the current regional situation, saying the UAE is not a party to the conflict and should not be targeted by attacks. He said the UAE appreciates China's fair stance and attaches great importance to China's role in shuttle diplomacy efforts, and stands ready to work with China to de-escalate tensions.

China maintains that the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all countries in the Gulf must be respected, Zhai said. Any attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets should be condemned, he added.

War and chaos serve no one's interests, and a ceasefire is the fundamental way out of the current crisis, he said.

Elsewhere, Israel pressed its attacks across Lebanon on Wednesday, hitting an apartment building in central Beirut.

The health ministry said on Wednesday that 14 healthcare workers are among the 570 people killed in Israeli strikes since the war came to Lebanon on March 2.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said at least two vessels — a bulk carrier and a cargo ship — were hit by unknown projectiles near Dubai and another in the Strait of Hormuz.

US-Israeli strikes on Iran reached their most intense day yet on Tuesday as mixed signals from Washington fueled uncertainty over when the conflict might end.

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Tuesday that operations would continue "on our timeline" until "the enemy is totally and decisively defeated". Hours earlier, President Donald Trump said the war was "very complete, pretty much" and that the US was "very far ahead of schedule".

Meanwhile, Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of its slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, as its new supreme leader on Monday.

Jack Midgley, principal consultant at Midgley & Company and an adjunct associate professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University in Washington, said the conflicting messages appeared deliberate.

"The administration is sending many different messages to avoid being held accountable for any bad outcomes," Midgley said. "Hegseth's message pleases the Israelis and the US hardcore right, while Trump's message is intended for the international community and markets."

At a Brookings Institution webinar on March 3, Philip Gordon, a Sydney Stein Jr. Scholar at the institution and national security adviser to former US vice-president Kamala Harris, said the administration had struggled to articulate consistent goals, shifting from nuclear concerns to regime change and other aims.

"It's been a moving target," Gordon said.

A day earlier, at a Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion, Seth Jones, president of the Defense and Security Department and holder of the Harold Brown Chair at the center, warned that causing major damage to Iran from air and naval assets alone would be "very difficult".

Midgley said the US and Israel should de-escalate immediately to avoid further regional instability."The goal of denying nuclear weapons to Iran can only be reached with a negotiated settlement, and negotiations are unlikely to resume while Iran is under attack."

Tehran now lacks trust after the scale of the strikes, he said. "The barrier is that Iran cannot trust the US or Israel to negotiate in good faith. (It) was created by the massive scale and aggressive objectives of the US-Israel attack and not by the Iranian side."

On the question of naval protection through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump has said repeatedly in recent days that the US is prepared to escort tankers through the strategic waterway when necessary.

Midgley called the idea impractical because it would "place navy ships directly in range of Iranian anti-ship missiles and guns, potentially trading American lives for oil".

"The idea is both unworkable and politically unacceptable for Americans," he said.

The White House said on Tuesday that the US has not escorted any oil tanker through the strait, after Energy Secretary Chris Wright's social media account posted and deleted a claim that it did so.

At the Center for Strategic and International Studies event, Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow and James R. Schlesinger Chair in Energy and Geopolitics at the center, warned of serious energy risks even if fighting eased.

"We have seen both vectors for supply disruptions," he said, citing attacks on shipping and infrastructure such as Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery and Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal.

Strain on munitions

At the Brookings event, Mara Karlin, a visiting fellow at the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy and Technology, highlighted the strain on US munitions and readiness, saying prolonged operations could limit options elsewhere.

Midgley said the biggest long-term cost was eroding international trust in US leadership. "NATO European members and regional partners like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are suffering real damage and were not consulted on American military moves," he said.

The US had set aside international law, including the United Nations Charter, he added. "As the US acts unilaterally, international confidence in US leadership continues to decline."

As of late Tuesday afternoon in Washington, no ceasefire was in sight. The Pentagon said strikes would continue, while the administration maintained the war was nearing its end. Oil markets remained volatile, and the risk of miscalculation in the Strait of Hormuz lingered.

The mixed signals from Washington could prolong the conflict "by creating confusion among allies and adversaries alike", Midgley said.

"Until there is a clear, unified US position on de-escalation, the path to a negotiated end remains blocked."

Agencies contributed to this story.

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday the US military operation in Iran is both a war and a short-term "excursion," sending mixed messages on when the strikes will end.

"You just said it is a little excursion and you said it is a war. So, which one is it?" Trump was asked by one of the reporters traveling with him in the US state of Ohio.

"Well, it's both," Trump answered. "It's an excursion that will keep us out of a war, and the war is going to be, I mean for them it's a war."

Addressing House Republicans on Monday, Trump described the military operation against Iran as a "short-term excursion" while later vowing to "go forward more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory." He has also demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender."

Though Trump said earlier on Wednesday that the US-Israeli war with Iran will end "soon" because there is "practically nothing left to target," Axios reported.

US and Israeli officials said that they are preparing for at least two more weeks of strikes in Iran, and that there has been no internal directive on when such strikes might stop, according to the report.

More than 1,300 civilians have been killed and 9,669 civilian sites destroyed in Iran in US-Israeli strikes since Feb 28, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, said Tuesday.

TEHRAN -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that "the only way" to end its war with the United States and Israel "is recognizing Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression."

In a post on social media platform X, Pezeshkian voiced "Iran's commitment to peace in the region."

Earlier in the day, Iranian armed forces warned that they would launch massive retaliation if the United States were to strike Iran's ports.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran's armed forces, made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB TV after the US Central Command published a post on its Persian page on X, calling on civilians in Iran to immediately stay away from the port facilities in which Iranian naval forces are carrying out operations.

"If the United States carries out its threat against Iran's ports, no port, economic center, or point in the Persian Gulf will be out of our reach," Shekarchi said.

On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US assets in the Middle East.

PARIS -- The International Energy Agency (IEA) has recommended a release of 400 million barrels of oil from stockpiles, the largest such move in IEA history, Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Wednesday.

The 32 member countries unanimously agreed to make available to the market 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves, Birol said at a press conference.

The release would take place over a timeframe appropriate to the national circumstances of each member country, he added.

According to Birol, the IEA secretariat will provide further details of how this collective action will be implemented in due course, and the agency will continue to closely monitor global oil and gas markets.

IEA members hold emergency stockpiles of over 1.2 billion barrels, with a further 600 million barrels of industry stocks held under government obligation.

The conflict in the Middle East has impeded oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, with export volumes of crude and refined products currently falling to less than 10 percent of pre-conflict levels, according to the IEA.

The move to release emergency oil reserves came ahead of an online meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders, scheduled later in the day, to discuss the economic consequences of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.

The G7 energy ministers, under the French presidency, met via videoconference on Tuesday against a backdrop of heightened volatility in oil prices. On Monday, the price for Brent crude, the international benchmark, briefly climbed to around $119 per barrel, its highest level since mid-2022.

In a statement released earlier on Wednesday, the ministers said they in principle support the implementation of proactive measures to address the situation, including the use of strategic reserves.

TEHRAN - Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is "safe and sound," said Yousef Pezeshkian, son of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on Wednesday.

Some friends who "had connections" had told him that the supreme leader is safe and sound, said Yousef Pezeshkian in a post on his Telegram channel.

Earlier media reports said that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Beijing "will continue to strengthen communication with all relevant parties, including the parties directly involved in the conflict", and play a constructive role in easing tensions and restoring peace in the Middle East, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

When asked about China's recent efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: "From the very first day of this conflict, China has clearly called for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting, for a return to dialogue and negotiations, and for a political solution."

"China's special envoy on Middle East affairs is currently engaged in shuttle diplomacy in the region," he added.

He noted that Foreign Minister Wang Yi has recently continued diplomatic mediation on the situation in Iran, holding further phone conversations with foreign ministers from countries in the region to promote peace, push for a ceasefire and help defuse tensions.

"As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a sincere friend of Middle East countries, China will not stop its efforts for peace, nor will it stop speaking out for fairness and justice," he said.

UNITED NATIONS -- 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, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, said Tuesday.

The civilian sites included 7,943 residential homes, 1,617 commercial and service centers, 32 medical and pharmaceutical facilities, 65 schools and educational institutions, 13 Red Crescent buildings, and several energy supply facilities, Iravani told the press in a statement.

"They are deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure across my country. They show no respect for international law and no restraint in committing these crimes," he said.

"Densely populated residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure are deliberately targeted," he said, adding that the figures continue to rise as the US-Israeli military attacks continue.

Iravani listed several instances in which civilian targets were attacked, including heavy strikes on fuel storage facilities in Tehran and other cities on Saturday night, releasing large quantities of hazardous and toxic pollutants into the atmosphere.

The explosions caused severe air pollution and serious health risks for civilians, especially children, women, the elderly, and those with critical health conditions, he said, citing the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

"These heinous attacks also violate international environmental obligations, including those under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity," he said.

Iravani noted that other instances included attacks on Mehrabad Airport in Tehran early Saturday morning, destroying or severely damaging several civilian aircraft and airport facilities, and attacks on a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province, disrupting water supplies to 30 villages.

He also said that in the early hours of Sunday, Israel carried out "a deliberate terrorist attack" against the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, killing four Iranian diplomats. "The targeted killing of diplomats on the territory of another sovereign State is a grave terrorist act, a war crime, and a flagrant violation of international law."

"The international community must act now to stop this bloody war against the Iranian people. We will take all necessary measures to defend our people, our territory, and our independence," he said.

DUBAI -- The UAE Ministry of Defense said early Wednesday that its air defense systems were responding to incoming missile and drone threats originating from Iran.

Residents in Dubai received mobile alerts warning of a potential missile strike and were urged to seek shelter. The alerts were later lifted.

The incidents come amid rising regional tensions following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb 28. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli and US assets across the Middle East.

On Tuesday, the UAE Ministry of Defense said its air defenses remain "vigilant, strengthened by cooperation with our partners," citing a 94% intercept rate on 1,475 drone attacks and a 92% intercept rate on 270 missile attacks over the past 11 days.