China is urging all parties to exercise restraint after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers in Gulf of Oman, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that countries should “avoid further escalation of tensions.” Geng says that a “war in the Gulf region of the Middle East is something that no one wants to see.” China is the world's largest buyer of Iranian oil and has maintained its support for the Iran nuclear deal. Geng said that “China will continue to protect its energy security” and oppose unilateral sanctions. In meeting on Friday on the sidelines of a regional summit in Kyrgyzstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Iran's President Hassan Rouhani that China will promote steady development of ties with Iran no matter how the situation changes, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for the attacks and the US military released images it said showed Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the ships. Iran rejects a US accusation against Tehran over the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
