Chinese foreign minister urges ‘comprehensive ceasefire’ in Iran war

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that China is “deeply distressed” over the war that has lasted more than two months and said a “comprehensive ceasefire” is needed.

The top Chinese diplomat met with Mr Araghchi in Beijing, the first time the Iranian foreign minister has travelled to China since the war with the US and Israel started on February 28.

Mr Wang said: “We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations.”

The Chinese comments could inject new energy into stalled efforts to push for an agreement between the United States and Iran that would end the war.

They followed an earlier statement by US president Donald Trump that he was pausing his short-lived US effort to guide stranded vessels to guide commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz in hopes that a deal could be finalised.

Iran’s effective closure of the strait, a vital waterway through which major oil and gas supplies, fertiliser and other petroleum products passed before the war, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing, rattled the global economy and put enormous economic pressure on countries including major powers like China.

The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell to around 100 dollars (£73) per barrel on Wednesday, easing significantly from big price jumps earlier in the week.

The prices are still well above the roughly 70 dollars (£51) a barrel that crude was selling for before the war began.

According to a video of the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister said the conflict “has already lasted for more than two months. It has not only caused serious losses to the Iranian people, but also had a severe impact on regional and global peace. China is deeply distressed by this”.

China’s close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a unique position of influence. The Trump administration is pressing China to use that relationship to urge the Islamic Republic to open the Strait of Hormuz.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio expressed a hope that Beijing would reiterate the need for Iran to release its chokehold on the strait, which would deny its main source of leverage as Mr Trump demands a major rollback of Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing has made clear that the relevant sides must act “with prudence” and resolve the conflict through dialogue in order to restore peace.

He added that China has been actively promoting peace talks and will continue to do so.

Mr Araghchi’s visit comes a week before Mr Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing for a high-profile summit.

The May 14-15 trip with Chinese president Xi Jinping would be Mr Trump’s first visit to China during his second term and the first by a US president since he visited in 2017 during his first term.

“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told,” Mr Rubio said during a White House briefing on Tuesday.

“And that is that what you are doing in the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You’re the bad guy in this.”