Chinese President Xi Jinping told the President of the United States (US) Donald Trump during a closed-door meeting at the White House that China supports the US and Iran returning to the June deal aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to media reports.
The meeting between Xi and Trump took place at the White House on Thursday, with the US-Iran talks currently facing a deadlock over how both sides will move forward.
US and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a phased arrangement under which Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz while the US lifts its economic blockade of Iran, according to people familiar with the talks cited by an international media outlet.
The strait has become a key point in the negotiations, with Iran seeking relief from the US blockade while Washington wants shipping to resume through the major oil route.
The talks face an obstacle as neither side wants to give up its leverage first, an international media outlet reported, citing Iranian, regional and Western diplomatic sources. One Iranian official said that a possible way forward could involve reopening Hormuz first in exchange for the US lifting its blockade, with Iran potentially gaining access to frozen assets.
Pakistan has also been involved in efforts to revive the diplomatic process between Washington and Tehran.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi travelled to Tehran on September 21 and met Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni as well as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. A private media outlet reported that the visit was aimed at discussing the stalled mediation process between the US and Iran.
During the meetings, Iran indicated its willingness to return to dialogue with the US, while Momeni thanked Pakistan’s political and military leadership for its efforts towards regional peace and stability.
Pakistan had also played a role in the June agreement, with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif saying at the time that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed electronically and that he had endorsed it as mediator.
The June memorandum called for an end to military operations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the agreement read out by a senior US official.
The US-Iran conflict began on February 28 after US and Israeli forces launched illegal attacks on Iran, followed by Iranian strikes against Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military bases. The fighting later disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
