China Launches Diplomatic Blitz as U.S. Strikes Qeshm Island in Hormuz

BEIJING, On the same Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq in the Great Hall of the People, U.S. forces were striking Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The two events, unfolding within hours of each other on November 2, captured the dual-track logic that now governs the Iran war: diplomacy and military action are running in parallel, and neither side is yet ready to choose one over the other.

The Qeshm strikes were the first against the island since June, according to Al Jazeera, which described it as the primary platform for Iran's asymmetric naval power. Three U.S. officials told CNN the action was defensive in nature, meant to protect American assets in the region after Iran fired at a U.S. aircraft. Iranian state media affiliated with Fars News Agency reported several explosions on the island in the early hours of Tuesday morning local time. Tehran's deputy foreign minister said Iran reserved the right to defend itself but stopped short of threatening an immediate response, characterizing the incident as part of an "ongoing war."

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the strikes, cited officials as saying the action was aimed at restricting Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait, through which one-fifth of global energy exports moved before the conflict constricted traffic. Oil prices rose in early Asian trading on Tuesday.

The timing placed Beijing in an awkward position. Xi had spent the day projecting the image of a mediator. His meeting with Sultan Haitham was the first state visit to Beijing by an Omani head of state since the two countries established diplomatic ties 48 years ago, according to the Washington Post. Xi told the sultan that China was ready to contribute to peace and stability in the region and that the Middle East should not become what state media agency Xinhua quoted him as calling "a wrestling ground for major-country rivalry."

Separately, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Beijing. According to the National Iranian American Council's analysis of the day's diplomatic exchanges, Wang reaffirmed Beijing's support for Iran's sovereignty while urging all parties toward a political solution.

The most concrete outcome of the day was a 20-point joint statement between China and Oman. The NIAC Council, citing the full text, reported that it explicitly called on Iran and the United States to pursue a comprehensive ceasefire, return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, and resume negotiations on the nuclear issue.

China also announced that its Middle East special envoy, Zhai Jun, would travel to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November, according to China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. Al Jazeera's Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, noted that China is Iran's largest trading partner and biggest buyer of Iranian crude, but that Beijing's diplomatic efforts had recently stalled before this week's burst of activity.

The Financial Times reported, cited by the NIAC Council, that Middle Eastern diplomats feared additional American and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear, missile and electricity infrastructure after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pressing for another wave of strikes, the Associated Press reported, citing two regional officials.

Vice President JD Vance said Monday he was hopeful for a negotiated settlement, just hours before the Qeshm strikes were confirmed. Trump, for his part, told Axios he was in no rush to decide whether to resume major strikes on Iran.

Oman's position is worth noting for readers less familiar with Gulf diplomacy. Muscat sits across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran and has historically been the discreet venue through which Washington and Tehran have conducted back-channel talks. It has also suffered Iranian drone and missile strikes on its ports since the war's first days. Its sultan flew to Beijing anyway, which is itself a signal.

Sources cited:
- Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/3/us-hits-qeshm-island-pezeshkian-signals-more-diplomacy-iran-war-latest)
- CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/02/politics/us-strikes-iran-qeshm-island)
- The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/11/02/beijing-launches-diplomatic-flurry-amid-threat-renewed-us-war-with-iran/)
- NIAC Council (National Iranian American Council) (https://insights.niacouncil.org/p/chinese-diplomatic-exchanges-push)
- Wall Street Journal (via Al Jazeera) (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/3/explosions-hit-irans-qeshm-island-as-us-media-report-us-strikes-in-hormuz)
- NBC News (https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/us-conducted-defensive-strikes-iranian-targets-strait-hormuz-us-offici-rcna607161)