Iran war latest: China urges reopening of Strait of Hormuz in talks with Iran's Araghchi

Beijing's foreign minister, Wang Yi, expressed willingness to safeguard Iran's rights during his talks with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday. As Beijing attempts to mediate in Tehran's ongoing conflict with the US, Wang emphasized the importance of dialogue and cooperation between Iran and the US. He urged both nations to remain rational and restrained.

The discussions took place just a week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. China, being a significant economic partner of Iran, has been pushing for a detente in the Middle East conflict, which has occasionally spilled over into neighboring countries like Yemen.

Wang made it clear that China does not want to see the regional tensions escalate into Yemen and the Red Sea. The recent fighting in Yemen between government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis has displaced more than 100,000 people inside the country, with thousands fleeing to other nations, as reported by the United Nations. The Iran conflict will be a key topic during Xi's meeting with Trump, along with other pressing issues such as trade and artificial intelligence competition.

China has dismissed recent US media reports alleging that Chinese entities provided satellite images of a Jordan military base to Iran, following an Iranian strike that killed three American soldiers. In May, the US sanctioned three Chinese satellite companies for aiding Iran's military operations.