China Tries to Keep Iran, Saudi Arabia Relations in Balance Amid Surging Mideast Tensions

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone on Monday with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and Iran in a bid to stabilize relations between the two Gulf rivals amid surging tensions over Israel. AFP

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi worked the phones on Monday in a bid to stabilize ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which are now under intense pressure following Tehran’s missile attack on Israel over the weekend.

Wang held separate calls with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian that were ostensibly focused on Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and Tehran’s retaliatory strike against the Jewish state.

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by Eric Olander

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