The UAE remains committed to political solutions and diplomacy amid regional tensions while reserving the right to defend its sovereignty, presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Wednesday.
"We did not seek this war, and we worked sincerely to avoid it," Gargash said in a post on X.
He added that relations between Arab states and Iran should not be based on confrontation.
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said Wednesday that Tehran’s claim over the Strait of Hormuz was no longer open to debate, underscoring the Islamic Republic’s increasingly assertive rhetoric over the strategic waterway.
“Our right to the Strait of Hormuz is established, and the matter is closed,” Aref said, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Aref added that Iran’s previous planning had focused on sanctions and pressure from adversaries, but that policymakers must now concentrate on “the security and wellbeing of our country and the region.”
Ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival in Beijing, Iranian officials rejected suggestions that US pressure could weaken Iran-China ties amid growing speculation over a possible Chinese mediation role in the Iran conflict.
Iranian ambassador to China Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli wrote Monday on X that relations between Tehran and Beijing “are stronger than any US effort aimed at changing China’s position toward Iran through pressure.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reinforced that message Monday, saying Beijing’s position remained “clear and consistent” and that the priority should be preventing renewed war and further escalation.
Crucially, Beijing also signaled opposition to any US-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, saying such actions were “not in the common interests of the international community.”
Observers viewed last week’s meeting in Beijing between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as an effort to coordinate positions ahead of the expected Trump-Xi talks.
During the meeting, Wang said China was prepared to play a “greater role” in regional peace efforts and encouraged dialogue between Iran and Persian Gulf Arab states.
Trump pressure Xi over Iran
Western media reports indicate Trump plans to press Xi over China’s economic and strategic ties with Iran, particularly oil purchases and alleged military assistance.
While Trump acknowledged he would raise the issue, he also said before departing for Beijing that he did not believe Xi’s cooperation was strictly necessary to manage the crisis.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing over Iran have intensified in recent weeks following the seizure of a Tehran-linked cargo vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.
In a CNBC interview, Trump criticized what he described as China’s “unexpected support for Iran,” saying he had anticipated greater understanding from Beijing.
Former US ambassador Nikki Haley also alleged on X that the seized vessel was carrying chemicals intended for Iran’s missile program, presenting the case as evidence of growing Chinese support for Tehran.
China’s expanding regional role
At a May 8 press conference in Beijing, Rahmani-Fazli said Tehran and Beijing had agreed to advance Xi’s four-point regional security initiative.
The proposal emphasizes peaceful coexistence, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and adherence to international law as foundations for stability in the Persian Gulf and the broader Middle East.
Iranian outlet Khabar Online described the initiative as part of Beijing’s broader effort to position itself as a major diplomatic mediator in the region while distancing itself from what it called US unilateralism.
The outlet argued that the approach could strengthen Iran’s negotiating position and increase pressure on Washington to accept at least some Iranian demands.
Rahmani-Fazli said Monday that any future agreement with Washington “must inevitably include guarantees from major powers” and ultimately be raised at the UN Security Council.
Could China become a mediator?
So far, China has largely pursued a cautious approach to the confrontation between Iran and the United States, avoiding direct involvement while calling for de-escalation.
Still, some Iranian analysts believe Beijing may now be willing to take on a more active diplomatic role.
Former Iranian ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh told Shargh newspaper that Chinese officials appeared interested in facilitating negotiations and reducing tensions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei also suggested Beijing could use Trump’s visit to warn against what Tehran describes as unlawful US pressure and its consequences for regional and global stability.
At the same time, some Iranian analysts believe China may be uneasy with Tehran’s threats to restrict access through the Strait of Hormuz.
Former Iranian diplomat Kourosh Ahmadi told Nour News that Beijing’s primary concern remains preserving open trade routes essential to its export-driven economy.
According to Ahmadi, this could push China to place greater emphasis on protecting the legal status of international waterways and opposing any disruption in Hormuz that might set precedents elsewhere.
Disputes over Chinese support for Iran
Last month, Trump called on Xi not to send weapons to Tehran and claimed China had offered assurances on the matter.
In recent days, the US State Department sanctioned three Chinese satellite companies accused of assisting Iranian military operations by providing imagery linked to Iranian military activity. Beijing rejected the allegations.
The US Treasury Department also sanctioned several companies in mainland China and Hong Kong accused of helping supply weapons-related materials to Iran.
Beijing does not recognize US sanctions on Iranian oil exports and has instructed domestic companies not to comply with American restrictions targeting so-called “teapot” refineries purchasing Iranian crude.
The moves underscore growing US efforts to pressure Beijing over its ties with Tehran ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting.
Three Republican senators broke with party leadership on Wednesday and voted to advance a Democratic-backed War Powers resolution seeking to halt US involvement in the conflict with Iran unless Congress formally authorizes further military action.
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky joined nearly all Senate Democrats in supporting the measure.
The procedural motion to discharge the resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ultimately failed in a 49-50 vote.
The US Embassy to the Holy See said Pope Leo XIV did not bestow an exclusive special honor on Iran’s ambassador to the Vatican, after reports said Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari had been named a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Pontifical Order of Pius IX.
“This decoration is given to all accredited ambassadors to the Holy See after 2+ years of service and has been standard practice for many years,” the embassy said.
The embassy said the recognition was personal and “does not imply support or opposition to any policy or country.”
Thirteen ambassadors recently received the same recognition, and the decoration was not given in person by the pope, it added.
Saudi fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Iran-linked Shi’ite militia targets inside Iraq during the Iran war, while retaliatory strikes were also launched from Kuwait into Iraqi territory, Reuters reported citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Sources cited by Reuters included three Iraqi military and security officials, a Western official and two people briefed on the matter, including one in the United States.
According to one Western official and another source familiar with the operations, Saudi air force fighter jets targeted Iran-backed militia positions near the kingdom’s northern border with Iraq.
The Western official said some of the Saudi strikes took place around the time of the April 7 US-Iran ceasefire, underscoring how military activity in the region continued even as diplomacy sought to halt the wider conflict.