Overview
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in Beijing for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with both governments confirming the meeting and saying they will discuss regional and international developments.
- U.S. officials are publicly pressing Beijing to lean on Tehran to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging China to use diplomacy to help reopen the waterway.
- The United States has begun a naval escort effort for commercial ships and has deployed guided‑missile destroyers to the Gulf after Iranian attacks severely disrupted traffic through the strait.
- China remains Iran’s largest oil buyer through a shadow fleet and small private “teapot” refineries, a trade that Beijing has moved to shield from U.S. penalties even as Washington sanctions firms and exchange houses tied to Iranian oil revenue.
- President Donald Trump is set to visit Beijing next week, and China’s role in de‑escalation and the status of Hormuz are expected to be top items for his meeting with President Xi Jinping.