China urges diplomatic end to Iran war as US admits ammunition shortages

China on Tuesday called for political and diplomatic solutions to the US-Iran war after the Pentagon inspector general reported ammunition shortages caused by the conflict.

Beijing is "following the situation in the Middle East and Gulf region," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news conference.

"We hope relevant parties will solve disputes through political and diplomatic means," he added.

Guo was responding to the first report by the Pentagon inspector general, which found that munitions used during the four-month US war with Iran caused "strategic inventory shortfalls" and exposed bottlenecks in the defense industrial base.

The report said expanding production requires "significant lead time," with key bottlenecks, including solid rocket motors, high-grade explosives and propellants, and skilled manufacturing labor.