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‘President Xi will give me big, fat hug’: Trump claims he is ‘permanently’ opening Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump said China would welcome US opening the Strait of Hormuz and claimed that Xi Jinping agreed not to send arms to Iran
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that China “is very happy” that he is ”permanently opening" the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping will give him “a big, fat hug” when both the leaders meet next month.
In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed that he is opening the Strait of Hormuz, just days after he announced that the US will impose a naval blockade on the key trade waterway.
“I am doing it for them, also - And the World. This situation will never happen again,” Trump wrote in the post.
“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??? ” the post read.
However, Trump ended the post with a warning that the US is “very good” at fighting if they have to, “far better than anyone else.”
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Trump says China agreed not to send weapons to Iran
In his post, Trump also said that China has agreed “not to send weapons to Iran.” Earlier in the day, Trump told Fox Business that Xi had "essentially" promised not to deliver weapons.
In an interview, Trump said he heard reports of China's military help to Tehran. "I had heard that China's giving weapons to- I mean, you're seeing it all over the place- to Iran."
He explained that he subsequently engaged the Chinese President to address the issue. “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," he said.
While Trump and Xi were scheduled to meet in March, it was delayed due to Trump's decision to launch a war.
Also read: What is China's four-point proposal pushed by Xi Jinping for lasting peace between US and Iran
China called US blockade ‘irresponsible’
Trump's post comes a day after China termed the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a "dangerous and irresponsible move" and asked Washington and Tehran to honour the ceasefire, Reuters reported.
Beijing also denied aiding Iran militarily and threatened to hit back if US President Donald Trump hikes tariffs against China on the allegation of helping Tehran.
Trump had previously cautioned that countries supplying arms to Tehran could be hit with severe economic sanctions, including tariffs reaching 50 per cent.
Strait of Hormuz, which is an essential passageway for energy shipping, has remained disrupted since the beginning of the US-Israel, Iran war. US announced a naval blockade against Iran following failed peace talks in Islamabad.
