Beijing, July 14 (SANA)China on Tuesday expressed concern over renewed military confrontation in the Gulf region, urging the United States and Iran to exercise restraint, preserve the ceasefire and restore safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a regular press briefing that restoring normal and secure transit through the strategic waterway “is a shared aspiration of the international community,” according to China’s Xinhua News Agency.

“China urges the relevant parties to exercise restraint and maintain the ceasefire achieved through painstaking efforts,” Lin said.

His remarks came as military confrontation between the United States and Iran entered a third consecutive day, with operations expanding to additional targets across the region.

The U.S. military said it had carried out a new wave of strikes against military sites across Iran. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates said its national tankers,Mombasaand Al Bahiyah, were struck by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, killing one Indian crew member and injuring eight others.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump formally notified Congress that military operations against Iran had resumed, a move his administration said opened a new 60-day window for the use of military force in the region without congressional approval.F.J./ABD