US President Donald Trump told AFP on Thursday that he believes China got Iran to negotiate a ceasefire in the war against Israel and the United States. Citing three Iranian officials, The New York Times also said Iran accepted the Pakistani-mediated ceasefire following a last-minute intervention by China, which asked Iran “to show flexibility and defuse tensions” amid concern of economic fallout. ADVERTISEMENTThe Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it welcomed the ceasefire, adding that China had made its own efforts towards realising lasting peace in the Middle East. The trip was originally scheduled for early April, but Trump postponed it, saying he had to stay in Washington to oversee the Iran war. Trump’s announcement of the ceasefire overnight came some 90 minutes before the deadline he had set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: The Telegraph April 08, 2026 09:16 UTC