Raging Mideast war dims US hopes for quick win, ignites global calls for de-escalation

​Chinese President Xi Jinping has replied to a letter from teachers and students of the Chinese language class at an international school in France's Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, extending his best wishes to them as well as all the teachers and students of the school.

​A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced Friday that at the invitation of the Vietnamese side, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, and Minister of National Defense Dong Jun will be in Vietnam from March 15 to 17 for the first ministerial meeting of the China-Vietnam "3+3" strategic dialogue on diplomacy, defense and public security.

​China expresses deep condolences regarding the deaths of students in the recent attack on an Iranian elementary school and extends sincere sympathies to their families, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday.

​Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of the world's oil and gas passes, the New York Times reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has denied the claim.

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday called for the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and pledged to open new fronts in his country's conflict with the United States and Israel.

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

​More than 4.1 million people have been internally displaced in Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon and Pakistan since the beginning of the recent escalation in the Middle East, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.

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

​Türkiye is engaged in "intense" diplomatic efforts to prevent a spillover in the war in the Middle East, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.

​Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday held a phone conversation with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla at the latter's request.

​Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday called on all parties to urge those involved in the current conflict in the Middle East to cease military operations as soon as possible and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

​Kuwait International Airport was targeted by several drones early Thursday, resulting in property damage but no casualties, according to the country's civil aviation authority.

​The fundamental way to prevent further deterioration of the situation is for the United States and Israel to cease their military operations, a Chinese envoy said in his explanation of the vote on the UN Security Council draft resolution on the Iran-related situation on Wednesday.

​China is disappointed and regrets that the UN Security Council draft resolution on the situation in the Middle East was not adopted, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, on Wednesday.

​The Israeli military said it began a new "wide-scale wave of strikes" on Iran early on Thursday, minutes after alarms were activated across Israel warning of missile attacks from Iran.

Participants in the Ukraine talks are considering Istanbul as a possibility to continue negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Wednesday reaffirmed the group's allegiance to Iran's leadership, congratulating Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as Iran's new supreme leader, according to a letter released by the local al-Manar news website.

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

A group of European countries has announced plans to release emergency oil stocks after the International Energy Agency (IEA) recommended a record drawdown from reserves to help calm surging energy prices amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Jose Antonio Kast took office on Wednesday as Chile's new president for the 2026-2030 term, succeeding Gabriel Boric.