May 26 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday he hoped parties in the Iran conflict can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway.
Iran said on Tuesday the United States had violated the ceasefire after the U.S. conducted what it called defensive strikes in southern Iran, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiating a deal to halt the conflict could "take a few days".
"We hope that the parties concerned can stay committed to pursuing a ceasefire and continue to meet each other halfway, so that peace can return to the Middle East as early as possible," Wang told reporters at the United Nations in New York after chairing a meeting of the 15-member Security Council.
"As we have been saying, it takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet of ice, and long-standing issues cannot be resolved overnight," Wang added.
"However, every step forward in the negotiation brings more hope to peace, and one day earlier the conflict is ended means less civilian casualties."
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Simon Lewis; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Michelle Nichols )
