Xi says China will promote steady ties with Iran

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping told Iran's president on Friday that China will promote steady development of ties with Iran no matter how the situation changes, Chinese state media said.

The official Xinhua news agency said Xi made the comment in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation, though Tehran has denied the allegation.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie)