BEIJING, March 30. /TASS/. China is ready to maintain contact with all international partners to ensure global energy security amid the escalating Middle East conflict, the country’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated.
"The global energy and commodity markets are facing a supply shortage due to the situation in the Middle East, which has impacted many countries. China is ready to maintain contact with all parties to jointly protect global energy security, but a fundamental solution to the problem requires first and foremost an end to military action," she said at a briefing.
The US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were hit. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
Iranian authorities also decided to close the Strait of Hormuz to vessels linked to the US, Israel, and countries that supported the aggression against the Islamic Republic. During the conflict, several tankers were attacked for transiting the strait without Tehran’s permission. On March 25, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran had allowed friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.