China urges restraint after US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island
Iran's parliament speaker said Tehran had given a firm response and that Washington must now decide whether to prevent another war.
China urged against renewed military escalation on Tuesday, hours after US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that China does not see military means as the answer.
"China believes that military means are not the solution."
Mao said the parties should stick to peace, resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiation, and restore calm in the Middle East and the Gulf region soon.
Mao was responding to a question about whether Beijing was worried about a possible resumption of US or Israeli attacks on Iran after the US midterm elections on Tuesday, an official transcript of her briefing showed.
The US military described the strikes on Qeshm Island on Monday night as "defensive."
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held separate meetings in Beijing with senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran, stressing the need for dialogue to reach a political end to the conflict and urging Gulf nations to rebuild mutual trust.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Tuesday that Tehran had given Washington a "firm and rational" response.
Speaking during a parliamentary session, Qalibaf, who also leads Iran's negotiating team in talks with the US, said Tehran remained ready for both diplomacy and military confrontation.
"Now the ball is in America's court to prevent war," he said.
Tensions between Iran and the United States have simmered for years, and the Gulf region has repeatedly been a focus of diplomatic efforts to reduce the risk of wider conflict.
