BEIJING, CHINA — China has declared its opposition to any targeting of Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, stating that Tehran’s decision to name the successor to his slain father is a domestic matter and must be respected.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun emphasized that Iran’s choice was made “based on its constitution” and warned against external interference.
“China opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs under any pretext, and Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should be respected,” Guo said when asked about threats against the new leader from Israel and the United States.
The statement follows Israeli military threats to target any successor to former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed over a week ago in the first wave of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
US President Donald Trump had previously dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei as a “lightweight” and insisted he should have a say in appointing a new Iranian leader.
Beijing, a close strategic partner of Tehran, condemned the killing of the former supreme leader as an act that violated international law, though it has also criticized Iranian retaliatory strikes against Gulf states hosting US forces.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire, stating that the war “should never have happened” and urging all parties to return to dialogue.
The conflict threatens China’s energy security, with over 80 per cent of Iranian oil exports going to China last year and more than half of China’s total seaborne crude imports coming from the wider Middle East, making it highly dependent on safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
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