China urges all sides in Iran nuclear dispute to remain calm

"We indeed think the Iranian nuclear issue is at a crucial stage," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

"We hope all parties concerned can keep calm, exercise restraint and create favourable conditions so as to properly resolve this issue," he added

A day ahead of a deadline from the United Nations Security Council for Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program, Qin reiterated China's position that it hoped the issue could be resolved through dialogue.

Tensions have escalated in recent days as the deadline has drawn closer, with Iran warning the United States Wednesday it would be "harmed" across the globe if it attacked the Islamic republic.

"The Americans should know that if they launch an assault against Islamic Iran, their interests in every possible part of the world will be harmed," Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned.

"The Iranian nation will give a double response to any strike."

Iran has insisted it will ignore the UN's Friday deadline, and maintains its uranium enrichment work is to enable civilian nuclear reactors to generate electricity.

Western powers, led by the United States, are convinced Iran is seeking the capacity to make a nuclear weapon.

The United States is pushing for a UN Security Council resolution that would allow economic sanctions or even military action.

However China and Russia, which are also permanent members of the Security Council with veto-wielding powers, have consistently opposed any such resolution, insisting that negotiations can resolve the dispute.

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