China on Thursday voiced concern over rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, saying the situation could pose problems for the resolution of Iran's nuclear issue.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin made the comment in response to recent remarks made by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at a regular press conference.

Any decision by Israel about an attack on Iran is "very far off," Ehud Barak told Israel Army Radio on Wednesday.

While Panetta said on Wednesday that the U.S. military is fully prepared to deal with any threats by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, they are not taking any "special steps" at this point.

Liu said some Western nations have recently tightened unilateral sanctions against Iran, which has escalated tensions between these countries and Iran.

China believes that differences between countries should be dealt with through dialogues and negotiation, he said.

He noted that sanctions, pressure and military threats cannot resolve problems, but may only worsen the situation.

"We hope relevant parties will remain calm, rational and restrained, and jointly safeguard the peace and stability of the Gulf," Liu said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2012)