&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "China welcomes US-Iran deal to end West Asia conflict, applauds Pakistan's mediation efforts")
China on Monday welcomed the agreement between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East conflict and praised Pakistan for its mediation role in facilitating the negotiations. The US and Iran stated that they reached a framework deal to end the war across all fronts, including Lebanon, and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz. However, both nations gave limited details on the thorny question of Tehran's nuclear programme.
"China welcomes the agreement... and expresses appreciation for the mediation efforts made by Pakistan," foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a news briefing, and added that Beijing hopes the deal will be signed as scheduled. He also said China hopes that a safe and free passage through the strait will be restored as soon as possible.
In addition, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington and Tehran have reached a final agreement to end their 107-day conflict, a war that had sparked a worldwide energy crisis. According to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the peace accord is set to be formally signed in Switzerland on June 19.
The agreement was brokered with the help of mediators, including Pakistan and Qatar, which had earlier secured a two-week ceasefire on April 8. The truce was later extended to allow negotiations to continue. The conflict began after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, resulting in the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders.
When will Strait of Hormuz open?
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The initial reopening of the strait is likely after Friday's signing, but past days have not been hopeful. The strait was partially open to traffic, but ship firms were scared away by the bombings by the US on vessels, which left sailers inlcuidng indians dead. The mine-laying by Iran had complicated matters. Clearing the mines would take at least 30 days. Full normalisation might take another six months, as per some analyst estimates. The lingering distrust, fee disputes, and verification issues are likely to delay full normalisation.
Currently, there is a 60-day window available for the Hormuz reopening. But that will close unless deeper talks are not agreed upon, and held on other issues such as Iran's nuclear and missile programmes. By some analysts' estimates, mine clearance could take up to six months. Container traffic may reach 50 per cent of normal by July, and normalise by August. LNG carriers would be the last to normalise, with the window seen at around September.
