Trump asked Xi to stop supporting Iran
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President Trump walks on a red carpet after greeting Chinese President Xi Jinping during an arrival ceremony on Wednesday. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to halt any assistance to Iran when the two spoke during his state visit, U.S. Ambassador to Beijing David Perdue said Friday.
Why it matters: China's economic, intelligence and military support for Iran has undermined Trump's effort to isolate the country amid the ongoing war.
- The U.S. is conducting a massive economic pressure campaign against Iran, but without Chinese cooperation it will only be partially effective.
Driving the news: U.S. officials have been concerned since the start of the war that China is supplying Iran with air defense systems and parts to build drones.
- In recent weeks, Iran has used high-resolution imagery obtained from Chinese commercial satellites that allow it to target U.S. bases in the Middle East as well as aircraft carriers and other Navy ships in the Gulf and in Arabian Sea, U.S. officials say.
- The discovery spurred the U.S. military to change its operational procedures to make it harder for Iran to locate and target Navy ships, a U.S. official said.
What they're saying: "We have made it very clear to them weeks ago that any help that they would give Iran, whether it be direct or indirect, whether it be intelligence or parts or military equipment was totally unacceptable. President Trump made that very clear again yesterday," Perdue said in an interview with CNBC on Friday.
- Perdue said the U.S. told China that Iran is an independent issue that is not linked to Taiwan in any way.
- "We have seen evidence that they have listened to us. They pulled some things down. We have evidence they pay attention when President Trump speaks about Iran," he said.
The other side: According to Chinese state media, Xi urged Trump to de-escalate with Iran by returning to the June memorandum of understanding and reaching a nuclear deal.
- "China has encouraged relevant parties to stay committed to peaceful solutions and maintain the momentum of talks," Xi told Trump.
State of play: The meeting between Trump and Xi came a day after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a new round of indirect negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- Qatari officials participated in the negotiations, passing messages between the two parties, sources with direct knowledge said.
- The sources said Araghchi gave Witkoff and Kushner Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear talks.
- "It was the same terms the Iranians spoke about publicly before the meeting," the source said.
- Iran proposed reopening the strait and resuming nuclear talks in a week, if the U.S. lifts its naval blockade, removes sanctions on oil sales and reinstates a ceasefire across the region.
- The U.S. negotiators made it clear to the Iranians during the talks on Tuesday that Iran doesn't control the strait and therefore can't make demands about it.
- Dozens of oil tankers are transiting the strait each day under U.S. protection, moving millions of barrels of oil to global markets — still well below pre-war volumes but enough to ease pressure.
What to watch: Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is the key mediator between Iran and the U.S., met Thursday in New York with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss the diplomatic effort.
- A source with knowledge of the mediation efforts said Qatar and Iran are waiting to hear Trump's response to the Iranian proposal.
- "It is still early to know where it is going, but there are some positive movements," the source said.
