China Supports Iran Amid Regional Turmoil

China said it believed Iran could "handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil" while safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, referring to an attack on Iran's embassy in Syria and its retaliatory strike over the weekend.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian via a phone call that China appreciated Iran's emphasis on not targeting regional and neighboring countries.

Wang also said he noted Iran had described its actions as limited and carried out in self-defense.

China strongly condemns and resolutely opposes the embassy attack, and calls the incident "unacceptable", Wang said.

After briefing Wang on Iran's position, Amir-Abdollahian told Wang that Iran is aware of the regional tensions, is willing to exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalations.

Tehran called on Western nations to "appreciate Iran's restraint" towards Israel after it attacked its regional foe in response to a deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

"Instead of making accusations against Iran, Western countries should blame themselves and answer to public opinion for the measures they have taken against the war crimes committed by Israel" in its war against Tehran-backed Hamas in Gaza, said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani.

The spokesman added that Western countries "should appreciate Iran's restraint in recent months".

Western governments have condemned Iran over its unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel, which Tehran insists was an act of "self-defense".

Iran's first direct attack on Israel, which began on Saturday, was in response to a April 1 strike on Tehran's consulate in Damascus which has been widely attributed to Israel.

The Damascus strike leveled the five-storey consular annexe of the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.