US watching to see if China steps up diplomacy with Iran, Bessent says

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Washington will be watching to see whether China steps up diplomacy with Iran to get Tehran to open up the Strait of Hormuz.

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Bessent told Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” he would urge the Chinese to join the US in supporting opening of the Strait.

China is one of Iran’s main allies.

A key sticking point between the US and Iran has been Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28, choking off major flows of oil, gas and fertilizer, while the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

But US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington would begin escorting ships through the waterway, drawing a threat of attacks from the Iranian military.

With agencies

Read more: Iran says it forced US warship back from Strait of Hormuz, US denies missile strike