Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pressed Iran to restore safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and resume substantive negotiations with the United States as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Beijing amid widening regional conflict and oil-market disruptions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
China called Wednesday for the early reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and urged Iran and the United States to return to the negotiating framework established in June, placing renewed diplomatic pressure on Tehran as disruptions to Middle Eastern shipping continue to affect global energy markets.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered the message during talks in Beijing with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whose meeting with Wang came as fighting involving Iran and Iran-aligned forces has expanded across the region.
“We urge all parties to take effective measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at an early date,” Wang said during the talks.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Wang stressed that keeping the international waterway safe and open was necessary to protect global energy transportation, industrial supply chains and international shipping.
Wang also called on Tehran and Washington to “engage in substantive consultations on issues of mutual concern” and urged both sides to “exercise restraint.”
The Chinese foreign minister encouraged Iran and the United States to return as soon as possible to the June memorandum of understanding negotiated in Islamabad and reconstruct a negotiating mechanism around agreements previously reached by the two governments.
Beijing has consistently supported that diplomatic framework. In June, Wang welcomed the first-phase U.S.-Iran memorandum and said China supported implementation of the agreement. In subsequent talks, he continued urging both governments to restore negotiations while calling for normal navigation through Hormuz.
The message carried additional economic significance for China, one of the world’s largest oil consumers and a major purchaser of Iranian petroleum.
Araghchi, however, maintained that Tehran still regards the June agreement as valid despite the resumption of hostilities.
“Iran is not interested in continuing the conflict, hopes to return to a diplomatic path toward a settlement and at the same time intends to firmly defend its rights and interests. The Iranian side believes that the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran remains in force,” Araghchi said, according to Chinese state media.
China’s Foreign Ministry separately reported that Araghchi said Iran remained willing to negotiate and wanted the conflict brought to an end, while maintaining that Tehran would defend its sovereignty and national interests.
The status of the Strait of Hormuz remains disputed and difficult to measure.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that oil movements out of the Persian Gulf had returned close to levels seen before the war.
“We’ve risen the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf to record highs right now. About 18 million barrels flowed out yesterday — basically pre-conflict levels,” Wright said during an interview. Reuters separately reported the remarks.
The administration has said U.S. naval protection has enabled increasing quantities of oil to pass through the area despite Iranian threats and attacks on vessels.
Commercial ship-tracking data provide a more complicated picture.
Preliminary data reviewed by Reuters showed only four vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, compared with a 10-day average of 18 vessels. None of the four recorded crossings involved a very large crude carrier or liquefied-natural-gas tanker. Analysts cautioned that additional vessels could have crossed with their tracking systems switched off.
Earlier industry estimates had also placed average Gulf oil exports below prewar levels despite individual days with substantially higher flows. Reuters reported last week that daily exports were estimated at roughly 15 million to 16 million barrels, compared with approximately 20 million barrels before the conflict.
The differing figures reflect the growing use of so-called dark crossings, in which tankers shut off or limit tracking signals while navigating the strait because of security concerns.
Shipping risks remain despite Wright’s assessment.
Iranian forces and vessels have been involved in additional incidents around the strait in recent days, while the United States has continued military operations intended to protect commercial shipping. The administration says naval escorts have allowed oil traffic to increase significantly even while ordinary vessel counts remain depressed.
Pressure on the global oil system also increased after attacks damaged Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, a route designed to move crude from the Persian Gulf side of the kingdom to the Red Sea while bypassing Hormuz.
Wright addressed the disruption, describing it as a “brief and temporary interruption” that “will be measured in days.”
He said Saudi officials were working to restore the pipeline quickly.
Reuters reported Tuesday that Wright expected full operations to resume within days, although industry assessments varied considerably. Some sources said repairs could require five or six weeks.
The roughly 1,200-kilometer pipeline has become increasingly important because it can transport several million barrels of Saudi crude each day to the Red Sea without passing through Hormuz.
The disruption forced Saudi Arabia to reorganize export routes.
Saudi Aramco has offered additional crude to Asian buyers through ship-to-ship transfers off Sohar, Oman, while loadings at Saudi terminals inside the Persian Gulf have increased. Four very large crude carriers, each capable of transporting approximately 2 million barrels, were observed loading at Ras Tanura as Saudi Arabia redirected shipments.
The alternative arrangements have helped limit some supply concerns, although the East-West Pipeline shutdown has halted loadings from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu export hub and resulted in canceled or delayed cargoes.
The broader regional conflict has also expanded through Yemen.
Iran-aligned Houthi forces have intensified military operations against Saudi Arabia while threatening shipping around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Reuters reported Wednesday that the Houthis had recently made substantial territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and seized strategic positions near the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route.
Saudi officials also said Tuesday that their air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone headed toward Mecca.
The Houthis denied that they intended to threaten Mecca or other Islamic holy sites, according to reporting on the incident. Saudi authorities said the drone was destroyed before reaching restricted airspace.
The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued a statement condemning what it described as Houthi attacks targeting Mecca and the Medina region.
The OIC said the incidents threatened civilians and religious sites and expressed support for Saudi Arabia. The organization had previously condemned Iranian military attacks against several Gulf and regional states as violations of their sovereignty.
The growing regional tensions have complicated Iran’s diplomatic position with other governments, including members of BRICS.
Araghchi traveled to China after participating in the BRICS summit in New Delhi over the weekend.
The summit’s final declaration called for restraint in the Middle East and emphasized maintaining global trade, energy supplies and supply chains. The declaration did not provide the explicit condemnation of U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran that Tehran had sought, according to reporting surrounding the meeting.
Several BRICS states also have significant economic relationships with Gulf governments affected by the war, giving members competing interests as the conflict disrupts energy supplies and commercial shipping.
China has attempted to maintain its strategic partnership with Iran while simultaneously pressing Tehran on shipping and regional stability.
Wang told Araghchi that Beijing was willing to “strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran, and safeguard Iran’s legitimate rights and interests,” according to reporting on the talks.
China’s Foreign Ministry used similar language in its official account, saying Beijing would continue supporting what it considers Iran’s legitimate rights while encouraging Tehran to improve relations with Gulf countries, respect the sovereignty and security of neighboring states and participate in negotiations.
At the same time, Wang’s explicit demand that all sides take action to reopen Hormuz placed China on record against continued disruption of the waterway.
China has repeatedly identified restoration of normal shipping as one of its central priorities since the war began.
In June, Wang described restoring navigation through Hormuz as one of three immediate priorities for the region, saying any arrangement should respect the legitimate interests of countries bordering the strait while conforming with international practices and maintaining global supply chains.
Araghchi adopted a conciliatory tone during his Beijing visit.
“We want the return of peace to the region and friendly and peaceful relations with our neighbors, and in this regard, we have started dialogue with the countries of the region,” he said in a statement distributed through Telegram.
Those remarks came during a period of continuing military clashes involving Iran, Gulf governments and Iran-aligned forces.
China’s intervention Wednesday therefore combined continued political support for Iran with demands directly tied to Beijing’s economic interests: a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, restraint in the regional fighting and renewed substantive negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Wang’s message was that China wants the June diplomatic framework restored while oil and commercial traffic return to normal — even as Iranian officials maintain that the original agreement technically remains in force and fighting continues across several fronts.
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