Russian foreign minister to visit China amid US-Iran tensions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will arrive in China on an official visit on Tuesday amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran following the failure of Islamabad talks held over the weekend, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday.

“At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC (Communist Party of China) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay an official visit to China from April 14 to 15,” the ministry said.

Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement during marathon talks in Pakistan’s capital on Saturday and Sunday.

Trump later announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to become effective from 1400GMT on Monday.