US President Donald Trump has claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him China is not supplying weapons to Iran, following an exchange of letters between the two leaders.
In an interview with Fox Business Network aired on Wednesday (Apr 15), Trump said he had written to Xi urging him not to provide military support to Tehran. He added that Xi responded confirming that China was not doing so.
“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 during the programme, though he did not specify when the correspondence took place.
The US president also referenced his planned meeting with Xi in Beijing on May 14–15, saying he did not expect global oil market developments to affect the discussions. He described his relationship with the Chinese leader as positive.
“I don’t think it does. I mean, he’s somebody that needs oil. We don’t. He’s somebody I get along with very well,” Trump said.
In a separate post on Truth Social, Trump claimed he was “permanently opening” the Strait of Hormuz and suggested China would benefit from the move. However, he did not provide further details, and it remains unclear what he meant by the statement.
The White House has not commented on the remarks. Meanwhile, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited amid ongoing regional tensions, with traffic significantly reduced compared to normal levels.
Trump also said discussions with Iran over ending the conflict could resume soon, even as the US continues measures targeting maritime trade linked to Iranian ports.
