The United States would like China to use its communications lines with Iran to convey the message that a wider war in the Middle East should be avoided, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.

"We certainly would encourage them to use those lines to reiterate to the Iranians that we don't want to see a deepening or an escalation of the conflict in the region," Kirby said when asked whether U.S. President Joe Biden had received assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would urge Iran to stop attacking U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq.