TEHRAN – Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Monday refuted reports suggesting that China has requested Iran's intervention to halt attacks by the Yemeni Resistance group Ansarullah in the Red Sea.

During a press briefing, Nasser Kanaani dismissed the news as unfounded, stating he was unaware of its origin.

He continued, “The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also had a clear and explicit position in this regard. The Islamic Republic of Iran and China, as two countries in favor of convergence, have consistently demonstrated their commitment to regional and international justice, peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts, and opposition to tension. The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed a clear opinion about what is happening in Palestine, Gaza, and the Red Sea. We also agree that the immediate priority is to cease the atrocities of Israel in Gaza. The developments in the Red Sea are just consequences of the injustice that we witness in Gaza.”

Earlier some news agencies such as Reuters claimed the Chinese officials have requested their Iranian counterparts, urging them to take action to quell attacks on ships in the Red Sea carried out by the Ansarullah, underscoring the potential risk to their business relations with Tehran if these attacks continue unchecked.

Amid Iran's repeated assertions that regional Resistance groups operate independently for the security of their countries and the support of the oppressed Palestinian people, the Western countries claim that Iran is fully backing these movements in the region.

Iranian officials have asserted that the U.S. and Israel’s accusations against Tehran are politically motivated, denying claims of being “deeply involved” in attacks by Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement on commercial ships in the Red Sea. 

Sana’a has repeatedly stated that it targets only ships heading to occupied territories and ensures freedom of navigation for other ships in the Red Sea.

Yemen's Armed Forces and the country's Ansarullah have been staging many strikes against Israeli vessels or those bound for the occupied Palestinian territories' ports.

The operations have been described as a response to an October 7, 2023-present war and siege that the Israeli regime has been waging against Gaza following an operation carried out by the Palestinian territory's resistance movements.

Since the inception of the war in the enclave, nearly 26,300 Palestinians, some 70 percent of whom are women, children, and adolescents, have been killed.