Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for Middle East peace amid growing regional tensions

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said in Beijing, where he stated that the Middle East and Gulf region must not become a battleground for great-power competition. According to the Daily Times, Xi emphasized China's commitment to regional stability, noting that Beijing has traditionally maintained a low-key diplomatic posture regarding Middle Eastern affairs.

In Tehran, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that his administration will work to resolve problems created by enemies through dialogue. Speaking at a meeting with governors and mayors, Pezeshkian noted that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has granted the government authorities to pursue diplomatic solutions. While stressing that no one benefits from war, Pezeshkian asserted that enemies will not be able to make Iran surrender and accused the United States of attempting to disrupt Iranian cross-border trade.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States attacked Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday. Citing unnamed US officials, the Journal described the strike against the island, which is the largest in the Strait of Hormuz, as part of a series of limited strikes Washington has secretly conducted against Iran in recent weeks. This occurred as President Donald Trump signaled progress in negotiations to end the eight-month-old conflict.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, Gulf News — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.