China's transportation authorities have taken measures to respond to the cold wave gripping large part of the country amid the Spring Festival travel rush.
The National Meteorological Center meteorological authority renewed a blue alert for a cold wave on Thursday as freezing air is set to sweep across most parts of the country in the coming days, sending temperatures plummeting and bringing strong winds.
The passenger volume on China's traffic network remains at high level on Friday, the 25th day of the 40-day travel period, which is the biggest annual human migration in the country.
China's railway system is expected to handle 14.1 million passenger trips on Friday, with 1,496 additional trains scheduled to accommodate the surge.
The railway departments in Sichuan Province in the southwest and Henan Province in central China have intensified inspections on tracks and equipment to ensure their normal operation, while the authorities in east China's Jiangxi Province conducted functional trials of electric snow melting devices on key sections.
In the aviation sector, a total of 18,766 flights are scheduled across the country for Friday.
The China Civil Aviation Administration has been closely monitoring the flight operations, in order to dynamically and timely adjust the flight plans according to the changing weather. It has also strengthened coordination with other departments to avoid massive flight delays.
As of 07:00 on Friday, a total of 54 road sections in nine provincial-level regions including Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Xizang and Xinjiang had been closed due to snow and icy roads brought by the cold wave, according to the Ministry of Transport.
Among them, 21 closed sections are on main routes, involving 14 expressways.
In addition, 169 toll stations have been closed, and the time for reopening has not been announced.
The cold wave brought heavy snow and temperature drop to Siziwang Banner of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Thursday, causing snowdrift on several national-level and provincial-level roads.
The thick snow cover on roads trapped vehicles and personnel. Local traffic policemen used shovels to clear the snow, and mobilized large equipment to tow the stranded cars. Finally, 76 vehicles and 93 people were successfully rescued.
Chinese authorities respond to cold wave amid Spring Festival travel rush
Conveying Iran's conditions for ending the war to Pakistan, as a mediating country, is among the key purposes of Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi's return to Islamabad, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday.
According to Tasnim, Araghchi's return to Pakistan is not related to nuclear negotiations with the United States. Instead, the foreign minister is expected to discuss bilateral relations with Pakistan, along with other issues such as Iran's enforcement of a new legal system on the Strait of Hormuz, seeking war compensation, guarantees against repeated "aggression by the warmongers," and lifting the U.S. naval blockade.
Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Sunday afternoon for his second visit since Friday, following a stop in Oman. His brief visit to Pakistan aims to continue consultations with Pakistani officials, it added.
Araghchi is scheduled to visit Russia after Pakistan on the final leg of his regional tour. During his first trip to Islamabad, he met Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Arm Chief Asim Munir.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz, blocking passage by vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.
An April 8 ceasefire was followed by Iran-US talks in Islamabad on April 11 and 12. After the negotiations collapsed, the United States imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, preventing ships to and from Iranian ports from transiting.
A new round of negotiations had been expected in Pakistan this week, but Iran declined to attend, citing continued U.S. naval pressure and "excessive demands."
U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News Sunday that he will no longer send delegations to talk with Iran. "If they (the Iranians) want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us," he said.
Trump said that he has great respect for Pakistan, which had been hosting U.S.-Iranian talks in Islamabad, and that Pakistan will stay involved.
He repeated that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. "So if they want, they can call us. But again, they know what has to be in the agreement. Very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, there's no reason to meet," said Trump.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said U.S. pressure and hostile actions are undermining trust and making progress toward renewed talks more difficult, according to a statement from his office early Sunday.
He added that Washington cannot pursue negotiations while increasing pressure on Iran, saying such actions "disrupt the necessary atmosphere" for diplomacy.
Iran's FM conveys conditions for ending war to Pakistan
