China's foreign minister urges reopening of Strait of Hormuz in meeting with Iranian counterpart

China encourages Iran and the US to remain rational, exercise restraint, return to the Islamabad memorandum and "engage in substantive consultations on issues of mutual concern," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, Wang's ministry said.

"We urge all parties to take effective measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at an early date," Wang said, adding that China "does not want to see regional tensions to spill over further into Yemen and the Red Sea."

China's policy toward Iran has remained consistent and stable and China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Iran, Wang said.

Iranian strikes caused widespread damage to US bases across Middle East: report

Iranian missile and drone attacks caused widespread damage to US military positions across the Middle East, including buildings, vehicles and aircraft, according to newly obtained photographs reported by CBS News on Tuesday.

The images, provided to CBS News by active-duty service members on condition of anonymity because of military media restrictions, show damage at several US positions in the region.

“This is major damage to our bases that hasn't been communicated to the American public,” one deployed service member told the network. “We're standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”

At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, one photograph shows what CBS News described as a direct hit on the rear section of a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft, with its tail severed from its charred fuselage.

Other images from the base show heavily damaged buildings and barracks alongside concrete “T-wall” barriers, which are designed primarily to protect against threats such as grenades and mortar fire.

Read: Houthi drone destroyed near Makkah as Saudi-led coalition warns threats to holy sites are 'red line'

Photos from Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for US Army personnel, armoured vehicles and some aircraft, also showed extensive damage, according to the report.

The images emerged as the US Defence Department's inspector general released a report estimating equipment losses from the Iran war at up to $3.7 billion, including nearly 60 aircraft.

In a mandatory report to Congress, the inspector general said US Central Command reported Iranian strikes on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan.

The Pentagon did not respond to CBS News' request for comment.

“These are not ‘squirters’ getting through,” the service member said, referring to terminology used by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth following a March 1 attack on Kuwait's Port of Shuaiba that killed six US troops.

“We're not defending these bases. We're just watching them get destroyed,” the service member added.