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Araghchi is currently on an official visit to China, which comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s scheduled trip to the country on May 14-15 to meet his counterpart, Xi Jinping
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi (Image credit: Xinhua via Getty)
As the situation between the United States and Iran hangs in balance, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in Beijing.
During the meeting, Wang Yi asserted Beijing’s commitment to safeguarding Tehran’s national sovereignty and security, as he lauded Iran’s readiness to seek political solutions through diplomatic means, sources told CNN-News18.
The minister asserted Beijing stands ready to ramp up its efforts to de-escalate the situation and end the war in West Asiasignalling interest in facilitating peace talks and playing a wider role in restoring peace in the region, they added.
According to the sources, the Chinese side pressed for a quick reopening of the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway that accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas trade.
Wang and Araghchi have held three phone calls since the start of the war, when the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28.
Data suggests the blockade of Hormuz has significantly impacted Beijing’s export-driven economy. In terms of imports, China is the largest consumer of oil from West Asia. Moreover, the Strait of Hormuz accounts for 45 per cent of Beijing’s oil.
Araghchi is currently on an official visit to China, which comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s scheduled trip to the country on May 14-15 to meet his counterpart, Xi Jinping.
War To End Soon?
Amid the fragile situation between Washington and Tehran — with no clear way out — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran to accept the terms and conditions of the ceasefire, warning that bombings would resume otherwise.
“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressed Iran to agree to the President Donald Trump’s demands on its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We would prefer the path of peace,” said Rubio, asserting a ceasefire in West Asia was still in place and that the Operation ‘Epic Fury’ was over.
“The operation is over. Epic Fury — as the president notified Congress — we’re done with that stage of it,” he added.
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