WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran with more bombing Wednesday if it doesn\u2019t reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a report that an agreement is emerging to end the war.<\/p>\n
Trump posted on social media that the war with Iran could soon end and oil and natural gas shipments could restart. But that all depends on Iran accepting a reported agreement that the U.S. president did not detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they don\u2019t agree, the bombing starts,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s threats came after China\u2019s foreign minister called for a comprehensive ceasefire in the Iran war<\/a> following a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was visiting Beijing for the first time since the war with the U.S. and Israel started Feb. 28.<\/p>\n Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday his country was \u201cdeeply distressed\u201d by the conflict.<\/p>\n China\u2019s close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a unique position of influence<\/a>. The Trump administration is pressing China<\/a> to use that relationship to urge the Islamic Republic to open the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Trump said Tuesday that he was pausing his short-lived U.S. effort to guide stranded commercial vessels<\/a> out of the Strait of Hormuz in hopes that a deal could be finalized. A shaky ceasefire has been largely holding, despite exchanges of fire during the U.S. push to reopen the strait on Monday.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s effective closure of the strait, a vital waterway through which major oil and gas supplies, fertilizer and other petroleum products<\/a> passed before the war, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing, rattled the global economy<\/a> and put enormous economic pressure on countries, including major powers like China.<\/p>\n The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell to around $100 per barrel Wednesday, easing significantly from big price jumps earlier in the week<\/a>. The prices are still well above the roughly $70 a barrel that crude was selling for before the war began.<\/p>\n Trump also due to visit China<\/p>\n Araghchi\u2019s visit to China comes ahead of a planned visit by Trump to Beijing for a high-profile summit<\/a> May 14-15 with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The trip would be Trump\u2019s first to China during his second term and the first by a U.S. president since Trump visited in 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations,\u201d Wang said, according to a video of the meeting.<\/p>\n The Chinese foreign minister said the conflict \u201chas already lasted for more than two months. It has not only caused serious losses to the Iranian people, but also had a severe impact on regional and global peace. China is deeply distressed by this.\u201d<\/p>\n In a televised interview with Iran\u2019s state media from Beijing, Araghchi said his visit included discussions of the Strait of Hormuz as well as Iran\u2019s nuclear program and sanctions imposed on Tehran.<\/p>\n Iran has attained \u201can elevated international standing\u201d after the war, having proven its capabilities and strength, Araghchi said.<\/p>\n U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that Beijing would reiterate the need for Iran to release its chokehold on the strait, which would deny its main leverage as Trump demands a major rollback of Tehran\u2019s disputed nuclear program.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told,\u201d Rubio said during a White House briefing Tuesday. \u201cAnd that is that what you are doing in the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You\u2019re the bad guy in this.\u201d<\/p>\n China\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing has made clear that the relevant sides must act \u201cwith prudence\u201d and resolve the conflict through dialogue in order to restore peace. He added that China has been actively promoting peace talks and will continue to do so.<\/p>\n In a statement published on the ministry\u2019s website about Wang\u2019s meeting with Araghchi, the foreign ministry said China values Iran\u2019s pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons while affirming its \u201clegitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump pauses effort to guide ships out of strait<\/p>\n Hundreds of merchant ships remain bottled up in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. said it had opened a safe shipping lane Monday and sunk six small Iranian boats that had threatened commercial ships in the strait. Only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the U.S.-guarded route.<\/p>\n But Trump announced he was pausing the effort, dubbed Project Freedom, to see whether an agreement with Tehran on ending the war could be reached.<\/p>\n In a social media post Tuesday, Trump said the move was based \u201con 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Pakistan has been mediating between the U.S. and Iran, and had hosted peace talks between the two sides.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Pakistan\u2019s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for what he described as a timely announcement of a pause in the effort to guide ships out of the strait.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Sharif said Trump\u2019s response to requests from Pakistan and other countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, would help advance regional peace, stability and reconciliation.<\/p>\n \u201cPakistan remains firmly committed to supporting all efforts that promote restraint and a peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy,\u201d Sharif said. \u201cWe are very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n This is a developing story. 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