US President Donald Trump has said China has agreed not to provide weapons to Iran, noting that he received direct assurances from President Xi Jinping.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump added that China is “very happy” with his decision to permanently reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran,” Trump wrote.
“President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!!”
Speaking in an interview with Fox, Trump said Xi had “essentially” assured him that China would not supply arms to Iran.
“I had heard that China’s giving weapons to — I mean, you’re seeing it all over the place — to Iran. And I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that essentially, he’s not doing that,” Trump said.
He did not indicate when the correspondence between both leaders took place.
Last week, the US president threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on any country found to be supplying weapons to Iran.
Meanwhile, China criticised the US blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as “dangerous and irresponsible,” while Xi stated that Beijing would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace in the Middle East.
The conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, which began on February 28, has heightened regional tensions, resulting in over 2,000 deaths and extensive destruction of both military and civilian infrastructure.