China Pushes for End to Middle East Conflict
"The protracted war does not serve anyone's interests; a ceasefire and dialogue are the only way out," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.
Voicing Beijing's "grave concern" over the widening conflict and its destabilizing ripple effects, Lin warned that continued escalation had "dealt a severe blow to global and regional peace and stability," before issuing a direct appeal: "We call on relevant parties to immediately stop the fighting and return to peace and dialogue as soon as possible."
The Chinese intervention came amid a swirling dispute over whether backchannel diplomacy was even occurring. On Monday, Trump announced a five-day suspension of strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, pointing to what he described as "very good and productive" negotiations with Tehran over the preceding 48 hours. Iranian officials wasted no time dismissing the characterization, branding the claims "fake news."
Meanwhile, sources within Pakistan's Foreign Ministry told media that a US delegation was expected in Islamabad to facilitate Iran-related discussions — though they cautioned that Tehran remained unwilling to engage directly with Washington, citing deep-seated mistrust.
Tensions over potential strikes on Iranian energy assets have also drawn sharp warnings from Tehran, which threatened to "increase" retaliation on the "most important part of the electricity and water infrastructure of the Zionist entity (Israel) and the United States in the region."
The conflict, now entering its fourth week, traces back to the joint US-Israeli military offensive against Iran launched on February 28 — a campaign that has killed more than 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran has since mounted repeated drone and missile counterstrikes against Israel and Gulf states sheltering US forces.
Adding an economic dimension to the crisis, the Strait of Hormuz — the world's most critical oil chokepoint, handling roughly 20 million barrels daily — has remained severely disrupted since early March, sending shipping costs and global oil prices climbing with no immediate relief in sight.
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