Iranian foreign minister will head to China for talks, as Pentagon reveals financial cost of war

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia June 23, 2025. Sergei Karpukhin | Via ReutersIranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi will visit China on Wednesday for talks, Beijing's foreign ministry has announced. China, which is diplomatically aligned with Iran and economically exposed to the Middle East conflict, has continued to call for a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement that would uphold Tehran's sovereignty and reopen the Strait of Hormuz."Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchi will visit China on September 16, and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, will hold talks with him," a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a short statement published on the department's website.It comes after President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed Wall Street Journal reports that Beijing had provided Iran with satellite imagery of a base in Jordan, aiding an Iranian attack that killed three U.S. troops in July. Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in the U.S. on September 24, though Beijing has yet to confirm the meeting.U...