Monitoring desk
China has told Iran yesterday April 16, that it must reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The country’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, told Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi that freedom of safety and navigation through the waterway should be guaranteed, saying there is a “unanimous interest” for normal navigation to be restored. It follows a US blockade of Iranian ports this week, which has caused further restrictions and uncertainty for shipping in the region. China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the primary buyer of the country’s oil.
On Wednesday Trump said the US had ended its blockade “for China” in an unusual concession to a trade rival. Meanwhile, an Israeli cabinet member said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to speak with Lebanon’s president after Beirut denied knowledge of forthcoming peace talks with Israel hours after Trump announced the historic negotiations.
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