Araghchi in China for high-stakes talks amid Persian Gulf tensions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Chinese officials on the latest developments in the West Asia region as well as the peace negotiations between Iran and the US, in which “some progress” have been made.
"During the visit, he will meet his Chinese counterpart (Wang Yi) to discuss bilateral ties and regional and international developments," Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The visit to China comes after a three-leg diplomatic tour that took the Iranian foreign minister to Russia, Pakistan and Oman last week.
The war, launched by the US and Israel with a vast wave of surprise strikes on February 28 has been on hold since April 8, but only one round of direct talks has taken place between Iranian and US representatives.
Since the failure of the first round of the negotiations in Pakistan, regional countries have been trying to get the US and Iran to the second round of negotiations. But Iran refused to participate in the second round due to the US violation of a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire by imposing a blockade on Iran’s ports.
Iranian officials have also blamed the US side for putting forward excessive demands and shifting its position at the negotiating table for the failure of the first negotiations.
Tehran has submitted a 14-point proposal to Washington aimed at permanently resolving the issue of war.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday Iran has received Washington’s response to Tehran’s proposal regarding negotiations, saying that reviewing the US response is not easy due to its pattern of “excessive demands and unreasonable requests.”
The diplomatic efforts come as attacks on ships and the UAE’s refineries in recent days have reignited tensions in the Persian Gulf which has been calm for weeks after the ceasefire between Iran and the US.
The Iranian foreign minister said on Monday that developments in the Strait of Hormuz show that there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan's mediation while warning the US and the UAE against being drawn into a "quagmire by ill-wishers."
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s prime minister condemned missile and drone attack on civilian infrastructure in the UAE, and said it was “absolutely essential” for the cease-fire between the US and Iran to be upheld.
Shehbaz Sharif, whose country played a significant role in recent negotiations between the US and Iran, said in a post on X that maintenance of the truce would allow the diplomatic space for dialogue and lead to enduring peace and stability in the region.