With a military standoff between the United States and Iran unfolding around the Strait of Hormuz, Iran Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araqchi set out for a visit to China on the 5th (local time).
Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its Telegram channel that Minister Araqchi would visit Beijing, China, that day. The ministry said Minister Araqchi is expected to exchange views with China's foreign minister during the visit on ways to advance bilateral relations and on the rapidly changing regional and international situations.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a Spokesperson's statement on the afternoon of the 5th that Minister Araqchi would visit China on the 6th at the invitation. The Spokesperson added that Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, is scheduled to hold talks with Minister Araqchi.
Iran and China maintain friendly ties. Earlier, Minister Araqchi and Director General Wang held a phone call on the 15th of last month to exchange views on the war situation and other issues. At the time, Wang said, "As a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights and interests should be respected and protected," while emphasizing that "the freedom and safety of navigation in international straits must also be ensured."
Notably, the talks between Iran and China came ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China. Bloomberg News has assessed that China is expected to serve as a potential mediator, given that it purchases a large amount of Iranian oil and can exert influence on Gulf countries and the United States.
Earlier, on the first day of the "Liberation Project," the U.S. military used force, deploying Apache helicopters to sink Iranian speedboats that had been threatening merchant ships to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran fired missiles and drones toward the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the 8th of last month, about a month after a cease-fire took effect, putting both sides in a military standoff.