On Monday, April 13, 2026, a U.S. naval blockade targeting the Strait of Hormuz went into effect following the collapse of peace talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad. The military maneuver, ordered by President Donald Trump, explicitly bars commercial ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports in an effort to pressure Tehran. As the largest global buyer of Iranian oil, China is weighing the severe economic and geopolitical fallout of this aggressive containment strategy. In response, China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry heavily criticized the blockade, publicly condemning the U.S. deployment as both “dangerous and irresponsible.”
Date: April 14, 2026. Source: dw.com