Shanghai, China - China and Pakistan's foreign ministers on Friday jointly called for the US and Iran to stop fighting and resume peace negotiations, according to a statement following a meeting in Shanghai.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar jointly "expressed concern over the deterioration of the current situation, calling on the involved parties to immediately cease hostilities… [and] return to dialogue."

Both countries have sought to mediate in the months-long Middle East conflict, which rekindled with renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz only weeks after the signing of a preliminary deal to end the war.

That agreement was "hard-won", Wang said. "Peace is before our eyes, [we] cannot fall at the last hurdle and even more so cannot lose what we have gained."

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The US and Iran exchanged deadly strikes again on Friday, Tehran accusing Washington of striking civilian sites, including an airport, railway station, and two bridges.

In response to those attacks, Iran said it launched a barrage of drone strikes against US military allies and infrastructure in Kuwait.

The strait was briefly reopened after the US-Iran deal in June, but Tehran said last week it would be closed again "until the US ends its aggression." In response, the US has blockaded Iran's ports and launched numerous strikes.

Pakistan and Qatar have acted as central mediators in the effort to bring about a lasting ceasefire and peace deal.

"As hostilities have continued over the past week, Pakistan reiterates its call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that could further undermine regional peace," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"We express the hope for an early normalization of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and underscore the importance of ensuring the continued safety, security, and freedom of maritime navigation."