US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he discussed the Iran war with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their talks in Washington, while US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Trump made clear that any Chinese support for Iran was “totally unacceptable”. Washington also said it had received assurances from Beijing that it was not helping Tehran.
Trump confirmed the Iran discussion when reporters asked him about his talks with Xi. “We did,” Trump said. “I think we're going to do great.” Trump and Xi did not take formal questions during Xi’s three-day state visit to the US.
David Perdue says Trump warned Xi over Iran
Perdue said Trump repeated the US position during his White House talks with Xi. According to the ambassador, Washington has told Beijing that any direct or indirect help for Iran would not be accepted.
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“We made it very clear to them weeks ago that, you know, 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. This is an ongoing drumbeat,” Perdue told CNBC.
Perdue was later asked by Fox News whether China had agreed to stop assisting Iran. He said Washington had received assurances from Beijing on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}Perdue was later asked by Fox News whether China had agreed to stop assisting Iran. He said Washington had received assurances from Beijing on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}“We've seen movement… on that already. That's what the commitment is. They assured us yesterday they're not doing that,” Perdue said on “America's Newsroom”.
The comments do not amount to a direct statement from Trump confirming that he personally accepted the Chinese assurance. The assurance was described by Perdue, who said Beijing had told Washington it was not providing such assistance.
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Trump and Xi discuss Iran during Washington visit
The Iran war was one of the issues surrounding Xi’s visit to Washington, alongside the wider US-China relationship. Reuters reported earlier this week that Washington also sees Xi as someone who could put pressure on Tehran, although China has faced US scrutiny over its trade and dealings with Iran.
Trump had also addressed concerns about Chinese involvement earlier this month. On September 13, he dismissed a report that Iran had obtained satellite images of a military base in Jordan from Chinese entities before an attack that killed three US troops there in July.
“They basically do what we do,” Trump said at the time. “When they say China spies on us, I say you're right and we spy on them too.”
The latest talks put China’s role in the Iran war back in focus as Washington seeks assurances from Beijing over any support for Tehran.
With inputs from Reuters