China Condemns US Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports as Dangerous and Irresponsible

China condemned the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as dangerous and irresponsible.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun warned it would exacerbate tensions and undermine the already fragile ceasefire.

ANI News

The blockade came into force on April 13, targeting vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports.

Trump threatened to sink any ships attempting to breach the restrictions.

China remained Iran's largest oil customer, with roughly 98% of Iranian oil exports bound for China before the blockade.

Xi Jinping spoke publicly about the Iran war for the first time, warning the world must not return to the law of the jungle.

He called for safeguarding a United Nations-based international order.

CNBC

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Beijing as China stepped up efforts around the war in Iran.

Xi told Lavrov that China would continue to play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.

A Chinese-owned tanker was set to be the first vessel to test the new US blockade.

Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on China if it supplied weapons to Iran.

Beijing rejected the threat as completely fabricated.

Reports suggested China could be preparing to supply air defense systems to Iran.

Beijing denied the allegations outright.

The dispute highlighted the interconnected nature of global competition.

China's support for Iran has been pragmatic and interest-driven rather than ideological.

Its trade and investment with Gulf states is substantially greater than with Iran.

DW

Security analyst Hamid Reza Azizi said China did not appear as a strong defender of Iran during the 12-day Iran-Israel war.

China's activities in Iran are largely pragmatic and based on interests.

The crisis extends far beyond the Middle East.