Chinese FM calls for revitalizing, strengthening United Nations

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on the international community to stand united and act together to defend, revitalize and strengthen the United Nations (UN).

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while presiding over a UN Security Council high-level meeting on upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centered international system.

He said the current international situation is undergoing the most complex and profound changes since World War II .

"The challenges confronting the world today test the international community's conviction to safeguard peace, its resolve to uphold justice, and its courage to pursue reform and innovation. We must unite and take action to uphold, revitalize and strengthen the United Nations," he said.

The Chinese foreign minister called for revitalizing the UN Charter to demonstrate stronger leadership, revitalizing the authority of the UN Security Council to demonstrate stronger capacity for action, revitalizing international development cooperation to harness stronger mobilization capabilities, revitalizing global governance platforms to foster stronger implementation capabilities, and revitalizing the effectiveness of the UN system to cultivate greater vitality.

Wang noted that over the 55 years since the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China at the United Nations, China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has actively participated in and advanced the cause of the United Nations.

"Standing at a new historical starting point, China will continue to uphold justice, pursue the righteous path, foster greater solidarity with all nations under the banner of multilateralism, and promote the construction of a more just and equitable global governance system, and jointly march toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity," he said. The UN Security Council high-level meeting was convened at the initiative of China, the rotating president of the UN Security Council for May, and attended by representatives from over 100 countries, including more than 20 foreign ministers and high-level delegates.

At the meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed the Security Council on the current international situation.

Chinese FM calls for revitalizing, strengthening United Nations

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Tuesday that 25 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours under its coordination and security protection.

In a statement published by the IRGC's official news outlet, Sepah News, the IRGC Navy said the vessels, including oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels, safely transited the strategic waterway after obtaining authorization.

The statement added that the IRGC Navy is "firmly carrying out intelligent control" over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any "act of aggression" would be met with a "strong and crushing response."

On the same day, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the U.S. Navy is quietly assisting commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iran negotiations remain uncertain, citing U.S. military officials.

A Greek supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil was guided by the U.S. Navy as it crossed the strategic waterway off the Omani coast, according to the WSJ report.

It added that the tanker had been stranded in the Persian Gulf since early March and is now heading to India to deliver its cargo.

The U.S. Navy plans to assist about a dozen vessels, including supertankers and container ships, in transiting the waterway over the coming days, according to the report.

The newspaper later clarified that the U.S. Navy's coordination with commercial ships did not represent a resumption of Project Freedom, a military escort operation announced by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month and paused within 48 hours.

A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command confirmed that Washington was not resuming Project Freedom.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait beginning Feb 28, when it barred safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on the strait, preventing ships traveling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway.

25 vessels transit Strait of Hormuz in past 24 hours: Iran's IRGC