China-Pakistan Urge US-Iran to Halt Fighting and Resume Talks

F-35B fighter jets take off from the USS Tripoli (LHA 7) in the Arabian Sea. (Twitter/@CENTCOM)

JAKARTA - The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan on Friday called on the United States and Iran to stop fighting and continue negotiations, according to a statement after a meeting in Shanghai.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar jointly "expressed concern over the deteriorating current situation, calling on the parties involved to immediately stop hostilities (and) return to dialogue," a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, as reported by Al Arabiya from AFP (17/7).

The two countries have been trying to mediate a months-long Middle East conflict, which flared again with new fighting in the Strait of Hormuz a month after the signing of an initial deal aimed at ending the war.

The deal was "hardly obtained," said Foreign Minister Wang.

"Peace is in front of our eyes, (we) must not fail at the last hurdle and above all not lose what we have achieved," he explained.

Meanwhile, the United States and Iran resumed attacking each other on Friday, with Tehran accusing Washington of attacking civilian sites - including an airport, a train station, and two bridges.

In response to the attacks, Iran said it had launched drone strikes against US military allies and infrastructure in Kuwait.

The strait was briefly reopened after the US-Iranian deal in June, but Tehran said last week that it would be closed again "until the US ends its aggression."

The Uncle Sam country has also reimposed a blockade on the ports of the State of the Mullahs.