Beijing. China's foreign minister called for a comprehensive ceasefire in the Iran war and said his country was “deeply distressed” by the conflict that has lasted two months.

Wang Yi made the comments on Wednesday after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was visiting Beijing for the first time since the war with the United States and Israel started Feb. 28.

The Chinese comments could inject new energy into stalled efforts to push for an agreement between the United States and Iran that would end the war. They followed an earlier statement by US President Donald Trump that he was pausing his short-lived US effort to guide commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz in hopes of finalizing a deal.

Iran’s effective closure of the strait, a vital waterway through which major oil and gas supplies, fertilizer and other petroleum products passed before the war, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing, rattled the global economy and put enormous economic pressure on countries, including major powers like China.

“We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations,” Wang said, according to a video of the meeting.

The Chinese foreign minister said the conflict “has already lasted for more than two months. It has not only caused serious losses to the Iranian people but also had a severe impact on regional and global peace. China is deeply distressed by this.”

China's close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a unique position of influence. The Trump administration is pressing China to use that relationship to urge the Islamic Republic to open the Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed a hope that Beijing would reiterate the need for Iran to release its chokehold on the strait, which would deny its main source of leverage as Trump demands a major rollback of Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing has made clear that the relevant parties must act “with prudence” and resolve the conflict through dialogue to restore peace. He added that China has been actively promoting peace talks and will continue to do so.

Araghchi’s visit comes a week before Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing for a high-profile summit. The May 14-15 trip with Chinese President Xi Jinping would be Trump’s first visit to China during his second term and the first by a U.S. president since Trump visited in 2017.

“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told,” Rubio said during a White House briefing Tuesday. “And that is that what you are doing in the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You’re the bad guy in this.”

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