Cargo ships in the Arabian Gulf sail toward the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates on March 19, 2026. AP Photo
Iran has rejected Beijing’s attempt to play the mediator role in the war and its request for safe passage of Chinese cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to insiders in China’s diplomatic circles who spoke to The Epoch Times.
Sun Min, an insider in diplomatic circles who used a pseudonym out of fear of reprisal, told The Epoch Times that Beijing originally planned to leverage its special relationship with the Iranian regime to act as a key mediator in the conflict between the United States and Iran, thereby seeking to secure leadership over the “global south”—developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. However, Iran rejected the idea, according to Sun.
