U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping during their Washington talks to halt any direct or indirect assistance to Iran, while Tehran said Beijing has assured it that ties with Iran will remain intact.
Trump Pressures Xi Over Iran Support
Trump told Xi that Chinese support for Iran was “totally unacceptable,” according to U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, who discussed the talks with CNBC and Fox News.
Perdue said Washington received assurances from Beijing on Thursday that China would not continue assisting Tehran. He also said the U.S. had already seen some movement on the issue.
The warning comes as Washington examines reports that China has supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense systems and helped Tehran circumvent U.S. sanctions on oil exports, Reuters reported.
Iran Disputes China’s Commitment to the US
An Iranian senior official, however, told Reuters that Chinese officials had assured Tehran that Beijing would not restrict its economic, political or military relationship with Iran because of pressure from Trump.
Previously, it was reported that Iran was expected to receive Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers. Tehran has also reportedly used barter-like arrangements to continue selling oil and purchasing Chinese goods despite sanctions.
China Faces Pressure Over Iran Ties
U.S. lawmakers had urged Trump to confront Xi over allegations that Chinese entities provided assistance to Iran that may have contributed to attacks resulting in U.S. casualties.
Trump has previously played down reports that Chinese entities provided satellite imagery to Iran before an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. troops.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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