Beijing says almost 800 Chinese citizens evacuated from Iran

BEIJING: Almost 800 Chinese citizens have been evacuated from Iran since Israel launched military strikes against the country last week, Beijing said Wednesday.

“Currently… 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas,“ foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference.

“More than 1,000 other people are in the process of relocating and withdrawing,“ Guo added.

And some Chinese nationals have also safely evacuated from Israel, he said.

“China expresses its thanks to the relevant countries for providing full support and assistance,“ Guo said.

Iran said early Wednesday it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the archfoes, hours after Donald Trump demanded the Islamic republic’s “unconditional surrender”.

The US president insists Washington has played no part in ally Israel’s bombing campaign, but also warned Iran his patience is wearing thin as the conflict enters a sixth day.

World powers have pushed to find an off-ramp, hoping to prevent the conflict from spiralling into a region-engulfing war.