Beijing has backed Iran's version of a one-day-old ceasefire that's already on a razor's edge, with the U.S. and Israel claiming it doesn't cover Lebanon. "Lebanon's sovereignty and security should not be violated. Civilians and their property must be protected," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during Thursday's regular press briefing. "We call on relevant parties to stay calm and exercise restraint to de-escalate the situation in the region." Israel said on Wednesday it had carried out airstrikes against more than 100 sites linked to Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah. Lebanese health authorities said at least 254 people were killed and 1,165 wounded in the offensive, which included dense residential and commercial areas in Beirut. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. State Department and Israeli Foreign Ministry by email with requests for comment. Citing a breach of the agreement, Iran has retaliated by again closing the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for roughly 20 percent of the world's oil supplies, just as tanker traffic was set to resume after more than five weeks of disruption amid the threat of Iranian drones and missiles. Pakistan, which served as mediator in the negotiations, said the deal it extends to Lebanon. "I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said when announcing the deal. Israel and the U.S. have denied the deal extends to Lebanon, with Vice President JD Vance warning Tehran would be "dumb" to let negotiations deteriorate over the country. "We hope relevant parties will take the ceasefire as an opportunity to resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means and put an end to the conflict," Mao added when pressed on whether Lebanon is part of the ceasefire. Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Chen Chuandong went further. "Today, we are all Lebanese," he wrote on X. "Our hearts go out to the families who have lost their loved ones and wish the wounded a speedy recovery. In this difficult time, China stands with Lebanon in solidarity." On Wednesday, Chen met with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, briefing him on the progress of humanitarian aid China is preparing to ship to the country, the diplomat wrote in an earlier post. China, a longtime diplomatic partner of Iran and buyer of nearly all its crude, has condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes as illegal and called on all sides to exhibit restraint and reopen the strait. Beijing has intensified diplomatic engagement across the region and, according to U.S. President Donald Trump, played a key role in pushing Iran to accept the 10-point ceasefire plan that forms the basis of talks with the U.S.
Beijing has backed Iran's version of a one-day-old ceasefire that's already on a razor's edge, with the U.S. and Israel claiming it doesn't cover Lebanon. "Lebanon's sovereignty and security should not be violated. Civilians and their property must be protected," Chinese Foreign …
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International mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to a senior Iranian official cited in reports. The measure is described as intended to reduce hostilities and allow renewed talks on a prior interim agreement.
Both sides are assessing next steps in the current regional security situation.
Reports indicate that a US-Iran ceasefire has broken down amid renewed fighting, with the potential impact of mediation efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman remaining unclear. Earlier diplomatic steps included a June memorandum of understanding between the parties for further negotiations and talks hosted in Geneva in February.
The summary also references Europe’s historical role in diplomacy, including the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna.
Donald Trump stated in a Fox News interview that his representatives had spoken with Iranian officials an hour earlier and that those officials wanted to make a deal to end the conflict, though he noted they had broken prior agreements and expressed uncertainty about whether one would be reached.
He added that people do not want to die and that Iran would need to proceed carefully to avoid further losses. The remarks come amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict that has involved casualties and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with some social media users criticizing the repetition of similar statements.
Why the Iran-US ceasefire is falling apart Iran and the US have resumed fighting because they don’t see each other as ‘reliable negotiating partners’, says analyst Ali Vaez. Neither Iran nor the United States seems able to deliver a “knockout blow at an acceptable price” to the other side, and both know “they have no choice other than engaging in diplomacy”, but they’re not ready to make uncomfortable concessions, argues Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group.
Vaez tells host Steve Clemons that Tehran and Washington are trying to “enforce their own interpretation” of the ceasefire agreement they signed last month. President Trump has become “frustrated” with diplomacy because he’s not seeing “the kind of quick results that he likes to see”, Vaez says.