France says it will work with China on de-escalating Iran war

Follow our live coverage here.

PARIS - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot held a call on March 2 with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss the Iran war and both agreed to work on de-escalation, Mr Barrot's office said in a statement.

Both ministers committed to seeking a political solution that would guarantee collective security and take into account the aspirations of the Iranian people, the statement said.

Mr Barrot “reiterated the Iranian regime’s responsibility for the ongoing escalation, after it unjustifiably attacked several countries in the region”, the statement said.

He also criticised the Iranian regime for refusing to respect the resolutions from the

United Nations’ Security Council on the nuclear programmes,

ballistic activities, support to non-state armed groups and rejecting good-faith multilateral negotiations.

The French minister reiterated that France was not involved in the actions by the United States and Israel and had no prior knowledge of them. Countries “must give precedence to international institutions to solve disputes and, where needed, the use of force”, he added.

The two ministers agreed to keep dialogue open on the issue.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, in its regular daily press briefing, urged all parties to stop military operations in Iran and prevent the further spread of war.

Calling for the involved parties to return to dialogue, the spokesperson said China was deeply concerned about the spread of war into other countries and would continue to play a constructive role in striving for peace. REUTERS