The BRICS TimesIran’s top diplomat flew to Beijing for face-to-face talks with China’s Foreign Minister marking the first such meeting since war broke out. The visit comes as global energy markets reel from the near-total closure of the world’s most critical shipping lane.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Lands in Beijing for War Diplomacy
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing on Wednesday his first visit to China since the war with the United States and Israel erupted on February 28. He sat across the table from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for face-to-face talks that the world had been watching closely. The meeting covered bilateral relations, regional tensions, and the path forward for the Strait of Hormuz the narrow chokepoint through which roughly 20% of global oil and gas once flowed freely.
Araghchi, who has been on a diplomatic marathon across Oman, Pakistan, and Russia, described China as a close friend of Iran. “Cooperation will even become stronger under current circumstances,” he said. He also stressed Iran’s position in ongoing peace negotiations “We will do our best to protect our legitimate rights and interests in the negotiations… We only accept a fair and comprehensive agreement.”
Why This Beijing Visit Matters
China is not a bystander in this crisis far from it. It buys at least 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports, making it Tehran’s largest trading partner by a wide margin. The war has squeezed China’s energy supply chains hard, and Beijing has quietly encouraged Iran to keep negotiating with Washington. At the same time, US intelligence reports suggest China may have shipped missiles to Iran and allowed Chinese companies to provide material support to Tehran a charge that has sharpened tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Wang Yi did not mince words during the meeting. “A comprehensive cessation of hostilities admits of no delay that restarting war is even more undesirable,” he said, according to Beijing’s official readout. He added that China “hopes the parties concerned will respond as soon as possible to the strong calls of the international community” to bring normal, safe navigation back to the Strait of Hormuz. Wang also acknowledged Iran’s nuclear ambitions saying China “appreciates Iran’s commitment not to develop nuclear weapons,” while supporting Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy.
The Strait of Hormuz: A Global Pressure Point
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut down since late February when US and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard began boarding ships, laying sea mines, and attacking vessels attempting to cross without permission. Commercial traffic which once saw around 3,000 ships monthly has fallen to roughly 5% of normal levels. Global oil and gas prices surged. Fertilizer shipments representing up to 30% of globally traded fertilizers ground to a halt during a critical spring planting season.
Iran has permitted ships from select countries including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan to transit via a northern route along the Iranian coastline. That route requires vetting by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and, in some cases, a toll payment exceeding $1 million per vessel. The US-approved route runs through Omani territorial waters to the south.
Washington Presses Beijing to Act
Back in Washington, the pressure on Beijing was building before Araghchi even landed. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to press Iran into lifting its chokehold on the strait. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went further on Fox News “Let’s see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” he said. Bessent also accused China of effectively financing Tehran “Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, and China has been buying 90% of their energy.”
Trump, for his part, announced on Tuesday that he was pausing “Project Freedom” Washington’s operation to guide stranded commercial vessels through the strait citing progress in diplomatic talks. The American blockade on Iranian ports, however, remained firmly in place. Iran’s state media described Trump’s pause as a retreat. “Trump Backs Down,” read a headline on Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
Araghchi Seeks Chinese Backing at the UN
Beyond the Hormuz question, Araghchi reportedly sought China’s support for an emergency UN Security Council session on the war. Washington has already signaled it would block such a session, blaming Tehran for the crisis. China and Russia had earlier vetoed a Bahraini-drafted UN resolution backed by the US and UK that called for an end to Iranian attacks and coordinated defensive shipping access through the strait.
The Araghchi-Wang meeting also came just one week before US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Beijing on May 14–15 for a summit with President Xi Jinping a visit originally delayed due to the war. Trump’s arrival with the Hormuz crisis unresolved could, analysts say, place him in a weakened negotiating position with Xi. For Beijing, the visit presents an opportunity to play the role of a steady, responsible power balancing its alliance with Iran against its need for economic stability and a workable relationship with Washington.
The stakes could not be higher. As Araghchi himself wrote on X before flying to Beijing “Events in Hormuz make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis.”
