At a United Nations Security Council meeting on June 24, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Fu Cong denounced both Israel and the United States for their recent strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. He accused the U.S. of being the "true instigator" of the nuclear crisis – pointing out Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He also noted the relentless "maximum pressure" sanctions that stripped Iran of its economic benefits, and unilateral military action that derailed negotiations it had launched.