MNA � The Chinese Foreign Ministry urges the United States and Iran to avoid escalation of tensions in the wake of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, the ministry's spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday

According to Sputnik, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urges the United States and Iran to avoid escalation of tensions in the wake of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, the ministry's spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday.

On Monday, Trump announced in a press release that his administration would designate IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.

"We took note of the relevant messages. In our opinion, when it comes to international relations, countries should follow the basic norms of managing international relations based on the principles and objectives of the UN Charter ... We hope that the relevant countries, especially large non-regional states, will make more efforts to promote peace and stability in the middle East and refrain from measures that could lead to escalation and tensions in the region," Lu said at a briefing.

He stressed that China opposed the "policy of force and harassment."

As a retaliation to the US step, the Iranian Supreme National Security Council accused the US government of supporting terrorism and recognized the US Central Command (CENCTOM) as a terrorist organization.