Iran's Araqchi Visits China for Sept. 16 Talks as U.S. Tallies $33.4 Billion Iran War Cost
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 15
Iran's Araqchi Visits China for Sept. 16 Talks as U.S. Tallies $33.4 Billion Iran War Cost
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 15
Summary
Abbas Araqchi will visit China on Sept. 16 for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Beijing said, putting the Middle East conflict at the center of high-level diplomacy.
China has kept calling for a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement that preserves Iran's sovereignty and reopens the Strait of Hormuz, reflecting both its alignment with Tehran and its economic exposure to the region.
The visit comes after Trump dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that Beijing supplied Iran with satellite imagery for a July attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops.
A Pentagon inspector general report released Monday said the Iran war had cost the United States $33.4 billion by June 29, with hundreds of structures hit, dozens of aircraft damaged or destroyed and munitions stockpiles strained.
Trump is expected to meet Xi Jinping in the United States on Sept. 24, though Beijing has not confirmed the summit, giving the Araqchi-Wang talks added weight.