Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, according to Xinhua. The meeting is reported as Araghchi’s first trip to China since the start of the war, reflecting China’s close economic and political ties with Tehran. Earlier, in Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hopes China will reiterate to Iran the need to release what the US describes as its “chokehold” on the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says the United States is pausing its effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz for a short period to “allow time for a deal to end the Iran war.” Trump also states that the US does not lift its pressure in parallel: the American blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect. Both developments come amid ongoing tensions over Iran’s role in restricting navigation through the strait and the impact on global energy flows.
