- Iran’s warring parties urged to prevent conflict from spreading: FO.
- China and Pakistan call for protecting the security of sea routes.
- Iran’s warring parties are urged to stop attacks on civilian targets.
Pakistan and China have jointly called on the United States, Israel and Iran to cease hostilities and begin “peace talks as soon as possible” to end the conflict in the Middle East.
The call came after a meeting between Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The more than month-long war between the United States, Israel and Iran, which began on February 28 and has affected the entire Middle East. The conflict has also had serious economic consequences, as Iran’s effective blocking of oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz since the attacks began has led to economic challenges around the world.
During the meeting, both sides called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” and greater efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading, and urged allowing humanitarian assistance to all war-affected areas.
The high-level bilateral meeting comes as Islamabad has stepped up efforts to end the US-Israel war against Iran.
In this regard, Pakistan received key regional ministers – from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt – and relayed messages between Washington and Tehran.
After the quadrilateral meeting in Islamabad, the FO said Dar and Yi would meet in Beijing to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and mutual issues.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and China, following the meeting between the two foreign ministers, called for immediate start of dialogue, while stressing that the sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf States must be safeguarded.
“Dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable options to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support relevant parties to initiate talks, and all parties commit to the peaceful resolution of disputes and refrain from the use or threat of use of force during peace talks,” they said.
Urging the security of non-military targets, the two neighboring nations called on parties to the Middle East conflict “to immediately stop attacks on civilians and non-military targets” and to fully respect international humanitarian law.
They also urged an end to attacks on important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power generation facilities, and on peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
Calling the Strait of Hormuz a major global sea route for goods and energy, China and Pakistan called for protecting the safety of ships and crew members stranded in the waterway and “allowing early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships.”
They also stressed the need to restore normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the two nations called for efforts to “practice true multilateralism” to jointly strengthen the primacy of the United Nations.
They urged Iran’s warring parties to support the conclusion of an agreement to establish a comprehensive peace framework and “realize lasting peace.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told aides that he is willing to end the military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed and leave a complex operation to reopen it for a later date, US President Donald Trump said. Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing administration officials.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Dar said a quadrilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt had called for an immediate and permanent end to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
In a televised address after the meeting in Islamabad, he said Pakistan had hosted the talks to discuss a range of issues, including efforts to ease rising regional tensions caused by the Iran war.
