Wang Yi, the country’s foreign minister, told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi that freedom of safety and navigation through the waterway should be guaranteed.

Mr Yi said there was “unanimous interest” for restoring ​normal navigation in the ‌strait, which handled one fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply before the beginning of the war.

His comments come after the implementation of a naval blockade on Iranian ports by US warships, a move designed to choke off Tehran’s economic activity.