China's President Xi Jinping on Monday demanded the uninterrupted passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in a phone call with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, state news agency Xinhua reports. He urged the normalization of shipping traffic afterabout 50 days of disruption which obviously and significantly impacts Chinese oil imports.
"Normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz should be maintained, this is in the shared interests of regional countries and the international community,"Xi said, in the statement also carried by AFP. He called for an immediate,comprehensive ceasefireand insisted disputes be resolved through political and diplomatic means.
He added that China will deepen strategic mutual trust with Saudi Arabia andexpand practical cooperation.
South China Morning Postobservesthat it was "the first time the Chinese leader had called for the reopening of the strategically vital waterway, which has been repeatedly blockaded since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28."
China imported5.86 million tons of crude oil from Saudi Arabia,down 10% from February, according to customs data released Monday.
As for where things stand on the negotiations front,Iran hesitated over sending diplomats to Pakistan for a second round of peace talksafter the US maintained a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz andseized an Iranian vessel, after apparently firing on it, undermining prospects for a breakthrough to end the war. Initially it appeared to shut the door on second talks, however per Associated Press Mondaymorning:
Iranian authorities haveexpressed willingness to send a delegation for a second round of talks in Islamabad this week, two Pakistani officials said Monday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said there is cautious optimism that delegations fromboth Iran and the United States could travel to Islamabad.
The US side would reportedly once again be headed up by Vice President JD Vance - who during the first round cut out early after a serious impasse was reached on the nuclear issue.
The tumultuous weekend events followed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi having posted on X on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was "completely open". By Sunday morning, Bloomberg ship tracking data had showed tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz waslargely ground to a halt. Also, the prior 24 hours had seen multiple incidents of tankers making U-turns, and added to all this a senior Iranian official renewed threats to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Source: ZeroHedge News
