China called for calm and restraint on Monday after the U.S. Donald Trump has threatened to blockade 'the Strait of Hormuz' after the failure of the weekend talks in Islamabad that were meant to end the Iran War.

Prior to the war, China was the world's largest crude importer.

When asked about the 'blockade threat,' Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said that it was in the interest of?the international community to keep the Strait of Hormuz safe, stable, and unimpeded.

He said that "China hopes all parties involved will adhere to the temporary ceasefire agreements, remain committed to resolving conflicts through diplomatic and political means and avoid a return of hostilities."

Guo said that China was ready to "play an active and constructive role" to resolve the crisis. He called the first round of talks in Pakistan's capital a step towards easing tensions.

The U.S. Central Command announced that after the marathon talks had failed, its forces would block all maritime traffic to Iranian ports starting at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Monday.

China and Pakistan supported peace talks in march while calling for an immediate end to the Iran 'war' and the restoration of normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a conduit that carries about a fifth of the worlds oil and gas.

Guo dismissed reports that China planned to?supply weapons to Iran, calling them "baseless smears" and "malicious?associations".

Trump announced last week that he would impose immediate tariffs on all imports from any country that supplies?Iran military weapons.

Guo stated that China has always taken a 'prudent and responsible approach' to arms exports. He added that the strict controls in place were in accordance with both domestic laws and international commitments. (Reporting and Writing by Beijing Newsroom, Editing by Clarence Fernandez).

(source: Reuters)