Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met China’s top diplomat in Beijing on Wednesday (6 May), underscoring deepening ties between Tehran and Beijing ahead of high-level U.S.-China talks expected to touch on Iran and the Gulf crisis.
The visit, announced by Chinese state media Xinhua, is Araghchi’s first trip to China since the U.S.-Israeli conflict involving Iran that triggered a major disruption in global oil flows and heightened concerns over energy security for major importers, including China.
During the meeting, Araghchi said China is a “close friend” of Iran and that bilateral cooperation would “be even stronger under current circumstances,” according to Iranian state media ISNA.
He also reiterated that Tehran is seeking a “fair and comprehensive agreement” with the United States.
The diplomatic trip comes as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit scheduled for 14-15 May, with Iran and maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz expected to feature in discussions.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged Beijing to play a more active diplomatic role in persuading Iran to reopen the strait to international shipping, calling on China to “join us in this international operation.”
He also pressed China and Russia to stop blocking United Nations initiatives aimed at securing commercial shipping routes.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a central flashpoint in recent weeks, with U.S. and Iranian forces engaging in renewed attacks and maritime blockades that have raised fears of a wider escalation.
Washington briefly signalled that the U.S. Navy would assist shipping through the strait before pausing the operation amid signs of possible diplomatic progress.
China, which imports more than 80% of Iran’s exported oil, has largely refrained from direct criticism of either side, while instead calling for restraint and the preservation of the ceasefire.
Beijing has also escalated its opposition to U.S. sanctions targeting Chinese refiners purchasing Iranian crude, ordering companies not to comply with measures it considers unlawful and signalling a tougher stance on secondary sanctions enforcement.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump has said the U.S. has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran warns the key waterway will not reopen while Washington maintains its naval blockade.
Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
A deal on a new route for vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is "very close," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, while warning that the reopening of the waterway depends on the U.S. meeting other conditions, including paying compensation to Iran.
An agreement between Iran and the U.S. to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected "soon," a U.S. official has said. The deal would result in the resumption of commercial shipping through the sea passage and the lifting of an American naval blockade on Iranian ports.
U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are progressing and suggested an agreement with Iran could be reached “soon”.
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