China called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump threatened heavy strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran in the coming weeks.

“Military means cannot fundamentally solve the problem, and the escalation of conflicts is not in the interests of either side,” Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference, urging “the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations.”

China also said on Thursday that US and Israeli strikes on Iran were the “root cause” of the Strait of Hormuz blockage, after Trump called on affected countries to seize the key waterway.

 “The root cause of interruptions to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is the United States and Israel’s illegal military operations against Iran,” Beijing’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference, when asked about Trump’s comments.

The US leader said on Wednesday that countries that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait “must take care of that passage,” urging them to “just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.”