China's top envoy meets with Iran's in Beijing as Trump pauses US effort
in the Strait
[May 06, 2026]
By AAMER MADHANI, ADAM SCHRECK, BEN FINLEY and ELENA
BECATOROS
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said
Tuesday evening he was pausing the U.S. effort to guide stranded vessels
out of the Strait of Hormuz to allow time for a deal to end the Iran
war, but that the American forces’ blockade of Iranian ports would
remain in place.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese
counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday morning, the official
Xinhua news agency reported, without providing further details.
It was the first time since the start of the war that Araghchi has
traveled to China, whose close economic and political ties to Tehran
give it a unique position of influence.
Earlier in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed
hope that Beijing would reiterate to Tehran the need to release its
chokehold on the strait, which is a vital waterway for global energy.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait, through which major oil and gas
supplies passed before the war, along with fertilizer and other
petroleum products, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the
global economy. Breaking Iran’s grip would deny its main source of
leverage as Trump demands a major rollback of Tehran’s disputed nuclear
program.
US to pause latest efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Trump announced the decision in a social media post, saying the latest
effort — which started Monday — would pause for a short period to see
whether an agreement with Tehran on ending the war in the Middle East
could be finalized.
Trump said the move was based “on the request of Pakistan and other
Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the
Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that
Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with
Representatives of Iran.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment or further
detail on the progress in negotiations that Trump mentioned. They had
appeared to have largely stalled in the conflict that started Feb. 28
when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
US officials say ceasefire is holding, despite attacks on UAE
The United Arab Emirates, a key U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, said it
came under attack from Iranian drones and missiles for a second day
Tuesday.
But U.S. military leaders and Rubio insisted the nearly month-old
ceasefire was still holding and that — while the conflict is not
resolved — the initial major U.S. military operation against Iran has
concluded.
Before the Trump announcement, Rubio told a White House press briefing
that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to Trump’s demands on its
nuclear program and also agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We would prefer the path of peace,” Rubio said.
Rubio also described the day-old U.S. push to reopen the strait to
maritime traffic as a defensive operation, aimed at helping thousands of
civilian sailors stranded there by the war.
“They’re sitting ducks, they’re isolated, they’re starving, they’re
vulnerable,” Rubio said. “At least 10 sailors have already died as a
result.”
On Monday, the U.S. said it had opened a lane and sunk six small Iranian
boats that had threatened commercial ships. So far, only two merchant
ships are known to have passed through the new U.S.-guarded route, with
hundreds more bottled up in the Persian Gulf.
Iran says the new US effort violates ceasefire
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the U.S.
military’s top officer, told a news conference that Iran’s renewed
attacks had not reached the threshold of what Caine called “major combat
operations.” He said Tuesday was a “quieter” day in the strait.
At the White House, Rubio said clashes with Iran related to American
efforts to reopen the straight were “defensive in nature.”
“There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first, OK?” Rubio said. “We’re
not attacking them.”
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A bulk cargo ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar
Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher
Qalibaf, signaled that Iran has yet to fully respond to the U.S.
attempt to reopen the waterway.
“We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is
intolerable for America; while we have not even begun yet,” he said
in a post on X. His statement did not mention negotiations with the
U.S. that are now in the form of passing messages via Pakistan.
Disputing Washington’s claim of sinking six Iranian boats, an
Iranian military commander said two small civilian cargo boats were
hit Monday, killing five civilians, Iran’s state TV reported.
Caine, the top U.S. general who serves as chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, said more than 100 U.S. military aircraft are
patrolling the skies over the strait. The U.S. has imposed a naval
blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, depriving Tehran of oil
revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
The Trump administration has cited the April 8 ceasefire in
asserting that the president does not have to give a formal update
to Congress on the war under the War Powers Resolution. That law
typically requires presidents to seek formal approval from Congress
for war activities 60 days after beginning military action.
Shippers remain wary
So far, just two civilian vessels, both U.S.-flagged merchant ships,
are known to have passed through the strait as part of the lane the
U.S. says it has created. Shipping company Maersk said one of them,
a vehicle carrier that it operates, exited the strait safely Monday
with U.S. military assistance.
Former military officers who have served on the strait have said
opening the waterway that is just 21 miles (34 kilometers) wide
would be dangerous and highly challenging, even with military
escorts, which the U.S. is not providing now.
Hapag-Lloyd AG, one of the world’s largest container shipping
companies, said in a statement that its risk assessment “remains
unchanged” and that transits through the strait “are for the moment
not possible for our ships.”
Iran has attacked ships that try to transit without going through
its own route in the northern part of the strait along the Iranian
coastline. That involves being vetted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
and in some cases making a payment.
The U.S.-approved route goes through territorial waters of Oman to
the south.
The UAE bore the brunt of Iran’s retaliation
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said it was responding to another Iranian
drone and missile attack on Tuesday, though there were no reports of
damage or casualties. A day earlier, it said Emirati air defenses
had engaged 15 missiles and four drones from Iran, one of which
sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian
nationals.
The British military reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE,
also on Monday. On Tuesday, it reported that a cargo vessel in the
strait had been struck by an “unknown projectile,” without further
details.
Iran denied striking the UAE “in recent days,” according to a
statement by Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for Iran’s joint
military command, that was read Tuesday on state TV.
___
Madhani and Finley reported from Washington, and Becatoros reported
from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers E. Eduardo Castillo in
Beijing; Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations; Collin Binkley and
Matthew Lee in Washington; Giovanna Dell'Orto in Minneapolis; Sally
Abou AlJoud in Beirut; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Meg Kinnard in
Columbia, South Carolina; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; David McHugh in
Frankfurt, Germany; and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed
to this report.
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