Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shake hands in Beijing. Photo: REUTERS
China urged the US and Iran to return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as Chinese President Xi Jinping was expected to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump next week in Washington, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, Wang’s ministry said.
He encouraged Iran and the US to remain rational, exercise restraint and “engage in substantive consultations on issues of mutual concern”.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the call during his meeting with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, who is on a one-day trip to Beijing, according to a statement by China’s Foreign Ministry.
The continued prolongation of the US-Iran conflict “is not in the common interest of the parties concerned and the international community,” Wang told Araghchi.
“China encourages Iran and the United States to stay rational and exercise restraint, return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding at an early date, rebuild the negotiation mechanism based on the consensus reached so far, and conduct substantive consultations on issues of respective concern,” Wang said.
The memorandum was signed in June after mediation by Pakistan and Qatar.
Open Hormuz, avoid tensions in Red Sea
Backing Tehran’s dialogue with Gulf states, Wang called for mutual respect for territorial sovereignty and national security, and “constructively safeguarding the common interests of the region.”
“We urge all parties to take effective measures to open the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, maintain the safety and smooth flow of international shipping lanes, and safeguard the stability of international energy transportation and supply chains,” said the Chinese foreign minister.
Since the US and Israel launched a war on Iran in February, Tehran has effectively closed Hormuz, while the Pentagon has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports since April.
The US-Israeli attacks targeted Iran’s government buildings, military sites, missile infrastructure, and air defences, while Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel, as well as US bases across the region.
The conflict has since expanded across the region, while diplomatic efforts have continued to end the hostilities.
China does “not want regional tensions to spill further over into Yemen and the Red Sea,” Wang said, as the Yemeni Houthi group and Saudi Arabia engaged in airstrikes.
“We call on all parties to stop further complicating the situation and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation,” he stressed.
Beijing to ‘safeguard’ Tehran’s ‘legitimate rights’
Wang assured Araghchi that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, “is willing to play a constructive role in resolving international disputes.”
“China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners, and China is also willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Iran to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” he said.
Wang last hosted Araghchi in Beijing in May, ahead of US President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi.
Wednesday’s meeting marked their second in-person talks in the Chinese capital since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
China is one of the largest importers of Iranian oil as the two countries maintain a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” driven primarily by economic ties and discounted energy imports.
Bilateral trade volume climbed to over $41 billion last year.
Iranian strikes caused widespread damage to US bases across Middle East: report
Iranian missile and drone attacks caused widespread damage to US military positions across the Middle East, including buildings, vehicles and aircraft, according to newly obtained photographs reported by CBS News on Tuesday.
The images, provided to CBS News by active-duty service members on condition of anonymity because of military media restrictions, show damage at several US positions in the region.
“This is major damage to our bases that hasn’t been communicated to the American public,” one deployed service member told the network. “We’re standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”
At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, one photograph shows what CBS News described as a direct hit on the rear section of a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, with its tail severed from its charred fuselage.
Other images from the base show heavily damaged buildings and barracks alongside concrete “T-wall” barriers, which are designed primarily to protect against threats such as grenades and mortar fire.
Read: Houthi drone destroyed near Makkah as Saudi-led coalition warns threats to holy sites are ‘red line’
Photos from Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for US Army personnel, armoured vehicles and some aircraft, also showed extensive damage, according to the report.
The images emerged as the US Defence Department’s inspector general released a report estimating equipment losses from the Iran war at up to $3.7 billion, including nearly 60 aircraft.
In a mandatory report to Congress, the inspector general said US Central Command reported Iranian strikes on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.
The Pentagon did not respond to CBS News‘ request for comment.
“These are not ‘squirters’ getting through,” the service member said, referring to terminology used by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth following a March 1 attack on Kuwait’s Port of Shuaiba that killed six US troops.
“We’re not defending these bases. We’re just watching them get destroyed,” the service member added.