China, Pakistan urge US, Iran to halt fighting, revive dialogue as regional tensions deepen

• Wang Yi, Ishaq Dar call for immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations

• Beijing says hard-won peace efforts must not be derailed

• Fresh US-Iran strikes intensify conflict despite earlier agreement

 SHANGHAI: China and Pakistan on Friday jointly called on the United States and Iran to immediately halt hostilities and return to dialogue, expressing deep concern over the renewed escalation in the Middle East and urging all parties to preserve hard-won diplomatic gains through peaceful negotiations.

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Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Meets Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Shanghai (16 July 2026)

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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 17, 2026

The appeal came during a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Shanghai, after which China's foreign ministry issued a statement outlining the two countries' shared position on the deteriorating regional situation.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, along with the Pakistan delegation, attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai this morning, which was addressed by H.E. President Xi… pic.twitter.com/2j8iROvuSI

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 17, 2026

According to the statement, Wang Yi and Ishaq Dar jointly "expressed concern over the deterioration of the current situation, calling on the involved parties to immediately cease hostilities … (and) return to dialogue."

China and Pakistan have both sought to facilitate diplomatic efforts during the months-long Middle East conflict, which reignited with fresh fighting over the Strait of Hormuz a month after the signing of a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the war.

Describing that agreement as "hard-won," Wang stressed the importance of safeguarding the progress already achieved through diplomacy.

"Peace is before our eyes, (we) cannot fall at the last hurdle and even more so cannot lose what we have gained," he said.

US, Iran exchange more strikes

Meanwhile, the United States and Iran exchanged another round of strikes on Friday, with Tehran accusing Washington of targeting civilian infrastructure, including an airport, a railway station and two bridges.

In response to those attacks, Iran said it launched a barrage of drone strikes against US military allies and infrastructure in Kuwait.

The Strait of Hormuz, which had briefly reopened following the US-Iran agreement in June, remains at the centre of the conflict after Tehran announced last week that it would once again remain closed "until the US ends its aggression."

The United States has also reimposed a blockade on Iran's ports, further heightening regional tensions and raising concerns over the security of vital maritime trade routes.