Beijing: China on Friday called for dialogue after US President Donald Trump announced that a 'big force' is heading toward Iran. Beijing expressed its hopes for Iran to maintain national stability and encouraged all parties involved to value peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialogue, as conveyed by Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun in a press briefing in the Chinese capital.

According to Anadolu Agency, President Trump, aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, DC from Davos, Switzerland, emphasized the presence of numerous US ships heading in the direction of Iran. He reiterated the deployment of a 'big flotilla' as a precautionary measure, underscoring a preference for a peaceful resolution, despite the show of military strength. Trump highlighted that the US is observing Iran closely, indicating the deployment of a massive fleet with the hope that its use would not become necessary.

Earlier in the month, at the height of protests in Iran, Trump had threatened 'very strong action' against Tehran. However, with the subsiding of demonstrations, tensions have eased somewhat in recent days. The death toll from the anti-government protests in Iran has escalated to 5,002, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Iranian authorities have accused the US of supporting what they label as 'armed rioters' responsible for public attacks nationwide.

In response to reports about the US permitting China to purchase Venezuelan oil but not at previously low prices set during captured President Nicholas Maduro's administration, Guo stated that Venezuela, as a sovereign nation, has the right to independently select its cooperation partners. The Trump administration, in a military operation on January 3, seized Venezuelan leader Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas, transferring them to New York, where they are currently detained.