China wants Iran and the US to remain rational, exercise restraint and return to talks, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Wednesday.
Mr Wang called on Tehran and Washington to “engage in substantive consultations on issues of mutual concern” and urged all parties to take effective measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
“We urge all parties to take effective measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at an early date,” Mr Wang said, after hosting Mr Araghchi for talks in the Chinese capital.
Mr Wang added that Beijing did not want to see regional tensions spill over further into Yemen and the Red Sea.
China's policy towards Iran has remained consistent, Mr Wang said. Beijing was willing to strengthen communication and co-ordination with Tehran, he added.
Before the regional war began on February 28, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels every day, carrying a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Only four vessels transited the strait on Tuesday, down from seven the day before and well short of the 10-day average of 18, preliminary shipping data showed. The drop in traffic through the waterway comes after attacks in the region intensified.
Of the Tuesday total, two ships exited the strait and two entered, the data showed. Meanwhile, 22 ships sailed through the Bab Al Mandeb strait on Tuesday, after 24 transited a day earlier. The figures exclude vessels that may have switched off their transponders to avoid detection.
Mr Araghchi arrived in the Chinese capital in the morning at the head of a diplomatic delegation and held talks with Mr Wang on matters of mutual interest, Iran's state news agency Irna reported. The agency said the ministers were to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues.
They also met last week on the sidelines of the Brics summit in New Delhi. China is one of Iran's largest economic partners and buys a significant share of its oil exports.
Wednesday's meeting marked their second in-person talks in Beijing since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. Mr Araghchi and Mr Wang met in the city in May, when the Chinese minister called for a complete cessation of hostilities in the Gulf.
Iranian state media quoted Mr Wang as saying China firmly supports Iran's sovereignty, security and national dignity.
He said the June 17 framework for further talks between Iran and the US was a valuable achievement resulting from the mediation efforts of several parties. The door to dialogue, once opened, must not be closed, he added.
The meeting also came before a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. The two leaders had met in May.
