China: Iran shouldn’t be sanctioned
An air defense missile is driven past Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during an Army Day parade in Tehran on April 18, 2011.
China's foreign minister Hong Lei called for dialogue with Iran instead of sanctions on Thursday, in response to the IAEA's report that states Iran's nuclear program is indeed for the purpose of creating WMDs, reported Voice of America.
The comments were made as many Western powers are preparing to institute sanctions if Iran does not cooperate with UN inspectors.
After a meeting with Chinese ambassador to Israel Gao Yanping, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin called China's announcement that it will further study the IAEA report before taking any action a "bluff," according to the Jerusalem Post:
I heard the Chinese stance that there is no need for a reaction to Iran’s nuclear arms, because they must study the subject. This attempt to buy time, when there is no time, is just a bluff.
Time Magazine suggested that China, which values its ties to Tehran, will not vote for more UN sanctions against Iran, and should not yield to pressures from other Security Council members to do so.
Meanwhile, European Union governments announced on Thursday that they could approve a new package of sanctions against Iran in the coming weeks, reported Reuters.
More from GlobalPost: Iran will not retreat from nuclear program, says Ahmadinejad