Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
Pakistan and China on Tuesday put forward a five-point proposal to help end the Middle East war, calling for talks to start as soon as possible.
The diplomatic push was announced as Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar - whose country has been relaying messages between the US and Iran - visited Beijing to discuss the crisis.
After Mr Dar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, China and Pakistan unveiled their initiative to "restore peace and stability" and limit the economic fallout of the war.
Their five demands are an immediate ceasefire, the start of peace talks, an end to attacks on non-military targets such as power plants, the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and respect for the UN Charter.
The outreach to China comes with the war pitting America and Israel against Iran - and Tehran attacking neighbouring states claiming "retaliation" against US assets - in its fifth week.
They said the US, Israel and Iran should enter peace talks without the "threat of force" - after two previous phases of negotiations ended with attacks being launched on Iran.
The eventual aim should be the "conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realising lasting peace," they said.
Mediation offers by Egypt, Oman and others have yet to bear fruit.
US President Donald Trump has said Washington is talking to Tehran, but Iran denies there are any serious negotiations under way.
Gulf concerns
The call by China and Pakistan came as Qatar’s Foreign Ministry warned that Iranian attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in the Middle East cross “many red lines” and pose a threat to regional stability.
Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said the strikes launched by Iran at countries across the Gulf breach international law and must stop.
He stressed Qatar’s view that, while Iran must be part of any long-term regional solution, continued escalation in the war “will not be in anyone’s interest”. Gulf states have borne the brunt of Iran's attacks after the US and Israel began strikes on Tehran last month. The resulting conflict has engulfed the Middle East.
Four people were injured in Dubai on Tuesday after shrapnel from an intercepted missile fell in a residential area, authorities said. A projectile also struck a Kuwaiti oil tanker off the coast of Dubai overnight, causing a fire that was brought under control.
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said the vessel, Al Salmi, was "fully laden". The company added that the crude oil tanker was subjected to a “direct, heinous Iranian attack”, Kuwait News Agency reported. Dubai authorities said all 24 crew members were safe.
In Saudi Arabia, two people were injured when shrapnel from an intercepted drone fell in Al Kharj governorate, the kingdom's civil defence said. The incident caused limited damage to some homes and vehicles.
Meanwhile, explosions were reported in Tehran and Isfahan early on Tuesday. Israel is prepared for "weeks" of more strikes on Iran, a military spokesman said on Tuesday. It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was "beyond the halfway point" in terms of achieving its military objectives.
The US and Israel have continued to carry out strikes despite reports of talks between Tehran and Washington and regional de-escalation efforts. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone calls with regional states on Tuesday to discuss "the dangerous escalation" engulfing the Middle East.
He spoke to the foreign ministers of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan to condemn Iran's aggression and stressed the need for an "immediate halt to these unacceptable attacks", Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The calls also addressed de-escalation efforts and attempts to end the war, it added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi also discussed the war in a phone call on Tuesday, Russia's Tass state news agency reported. Members of the Gulf Co-operation Council, meanwhile, held a ministerial meeting with Jordan and Russia on Monday to discuss the repercussions of Iran's attacks and de-escalation efforts as the war drags on.
US President Donald Trump has told aides he is willing to end the military campaign even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, the Wall Street Journal reported. Quoting administration officials, the report said Mr Trump is willing to leave a complex operation to reopen the strait for a later date.
Since the start of the war, Mr Trump has expressed contradictory opinions in public over how to handle the crisis in the waterway, as well as the goals and objectives of the war. He has threatened to attack Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran fails to meet a deadline on reopening the strait. He has also played down the need to reopen the waterway, which is vital to the global trade of energy and gas.
The US has also sent more troops to the region while Mr Trump claims "positive" negotiations have been held to end the war.
