China supports 'active mediation' by Pakistan between US, Iran: FM Wang Yi

'Regarding the current situation, the key is the negotiation between the United States and Iran because they are the major parties concerned,' Wang Yi told reporters.

United Nations: China has said it supports the “active mediation” by Pakistan and other countries between the US and Iran in the ongoing West Asia conflict.

“Regarding the current situation, the key is the negotiation between the United States and Iran because they are the major parties concerned," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters here Tuesday.

"We support the active mediation by Pakistan and other countries. Before we came here, I met with (Field) Marshal (Asim) Munir of Pakistan. We also support efforts made by the United States and Iran, respectively,” Wang said.

China is the president of the UN Security Council for the month of May and hosted a Council debate on ‘Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centred international system’.

Wang presided over the opening session of the debate on Tuesday morning and met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres during his visit to UN headquarters.

“As we have been saying, it takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet of ice, and long-standing issues cannot be resolved overnight,” he said, responding to a question on the US-Iran conflict.

Wang added that every step forward in the negotiation brings more hope for peace.

“We hope that the parties concerned can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway, so that peace can return to the Middle East as early as possible.

"And we believe that once an agreement is reached, it will be submitted to the UN Security Council for endorsement, for it to have legitimacy and authority,” he said.

The Chinese foreign minister on Monday held talks in Beijing with Munir, who briefed him on his latest visit to Iran amid the ongoing tensions involving Tehran and Washington.

Munir concluded a short visit to Iran on Saturday, during which he held high-level meetings with the Iranian leadership.

From Iran, Munir travelled to China to join Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday. Sharif is on a four-day visit to China that began on Saturday.

Wang's remarks came as US Senator Lindsey Graham said in a post on X that Pakistan, as a “mediator” between the US and Iran, is more than “problematic”.

Graham's remarks came as Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif said he was not in favour of Islamabad joining the Abraham Accords on establishing diplomatic, economic and security ties between Israel and Arab nations.

“It has been apparent to me for quite a while that Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic. Their animosity towards Israel is long-standing,” Graham said.

“It is undeniable that Iranian military aircraft are being housed on Pakistani air bases, and past rhetoric from the highest Pakistani officials against Israel is disturbing. As to the defence minister’s comments about the Abraham Accords, saying that Pakistan would never join because they don’t trust Israel: The clip may be a year old, but I fear the sentiment is fresh.

“In that regard, it is imperative that Pakistan give an answer now to President Trump’s call to join the Abraham Accords,” Graham added.

The senator was referring to a US media report which said Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfield to shield them from American airstrikes. Islamabad had rejected the report as "misleading".