Iran, China discuss Hormuz reopening amid potential US-Iran talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday, ahead of next week’s Trump-Xi summit and as efforts to reach a US-Iran deal show signs of progress.

What happened: In their meeting, Araghchi briefed Wang on “the latest developments in the Iran-US negotiations and Iran’s next steps,” according to a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry. 

Araghchi also said that “the issue of opening the Strait of Hormuz can be resolved as soon as possible,” referring to the narrow waterway off Iran’s coast through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies flowed before the conflict began on Feb. 28.

Ship traffic through the strait dropped sharply during the war, falling to single digits from a daily average of 138 before the conflict, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center.

Wang said that “China hopes that the parties involved will respond promptly to the strong calls from the international community” to open the strait. 

He told Araghchi that “persisting in negotiations is particularly important,” adding that “China believes that a complete cessation of hostilities is imperative.” China is willing to “continue to provide assistance for the initiation of peace talks and play a greater role in restoring peace and tranquility in the Middle East,” Wang said.

Wang also said that “China is willing to consolidate and deepen political mutual trust with Iran.”

Araghchi said that “Iran is also willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China in multilateral affairs and continuously deepen the Iran-China comprehensive strategic partnership.”

Background: Shortly before the meeting in Beijing, President Donald Trump announced a pause in the military operation to reopen Hormuz, saying less than 48 hours after the military operation began that the US and Iran had made “great progress” toward a deal. 

In a post on X following Trump’s announcement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed optimism over the prospect of reaching a deal. “We are very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond,” he wrote. Sharif said that the pause came after a request from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, along with other “brotherly countries.” 

Pakistan has played a key intermediary role between Washington and Tehran, hosting talks between the two sides in April that ultimately failed to produce a breakthrough.

Washington has also been pressing China to take a more active role. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that Beijing should “step up” efforts to encourage Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Let’s see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” Bessent said. “The attacks from Iran have closed the strait. We are reopening it. So I would urge the Chinese to join us in supporting this international operation.” 

Know more: China is Iran’s largest buyer of oil — a relationship that has helped sustain Tehran’s exports despite US sanctions. Much of Iran’s crude is transported via a so-called shadow fleet of vessels that obscure their origins and destinations before being refined in China by small private processors known as teapot refineries.

Over the weekend, China's Ministry of Commerce ordered domestic companies not to comply with US sanctions targeting five Chinese oil refiners linked to Iranian crude imports, invoking a rarely used legal mechanism introduced in 2021 that is designed to counter what China considers an unjustified extraterritorial application of foreign laws.

Araghchi’s visit comes a week before Trump is due to travel to China for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14-15.