TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Russia, China call for all sides in Middle East to de-escalate
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday vowed the US would take "all necessary actions" to defend its troops after a deadly drone attack in Jordan by Iran-backed militants, even as President Joe Biden's administration stressed it was not seeking a war with Iran.
Change Size
In this file photo taken on December 17, 2020, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sits in front of a screen displaying Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing his annual press conference via a video link from the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, at the World Trade Centre's congress centre in Moscow. (AFP/Natalia Kolesnikova)
T
he Kremlin, asked on Tuesday about potential US strikes on Iranian interests, said tensions in the Middle East were high and that steps were needed to de-escalate rather than destabilise the wider region.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday vowed the US would take "all necessary actions" to defend its troops after a deadly drone attack in Jordan by Iran-backed militants, even as President Joe Biden's administration stressed it was not seeking a war with Iran.
"We do not welcome any actions that lead to destabilisation in the region and increase tensions, especially against the backdrop of the excessive potential for conflict," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"We will not welcome the continuation of such actions, regardless of who they come from. The level of tension is high now and we need to take steps to de-escalate. This is what will prevent the conflict from spreading."
Russia enjoys increasingly close ties with Iran at a time when its ties with the United States are at their lowest level since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis over what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, China on Tuesday warned against a "cycle of retaliation" in the Middle East after the United States vowed to respond to the drone attack.
Beijing said Tuesday it had "noted reports of casualties caused by the attack on a US military base".
"We have also noted that Iran stated that it had nothing to do with the attack," foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
"We hope that all relevant parties will remain calm and restrained... in order to avoid falling into a vicious cycle of retaliation and prevent further escalation of regional tension," he added.
"The situation in the Middle East is currently highly complex and sensitive," Wang said.
