Donald Trump apparently “made it clear” to Xi Jinping that any help to Iran from the Chinese side amid the US’ ongoing war with Tehran was “totally unacceptable”, an official said on Friday.
In an interview with CNBC, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Trump made the comments during his candid talks with the Chinese President at the White House.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a highly-anticipated state visit to the United States, where the leaders reportedly discussed a number of thorny issues including Iran, trade, and artificial intelligence.
“We made it very clear to them weeks ago that any help that they (China) 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 the television network.
He said Trump and Xi agreed that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”
“They (Iran) also agreed to open up the Strait of Hormuz and that no one ever would be allowed to have tolls inside that strait,” he added.
Photo Credit: AFP
Perdue said that US and Iran will continue to have talks about Iran privately, claiming that they have seen progress. “They pulled some things down and we have evidence that they pay attention when President Trump talks about this particular issue.”
The US envoy said that over the last month, much of the US President’s time has been spent on the topic of discussing Iran with Xi.
“This is an independent issue and President Trump’s made it very clear what our interests are and with regard to Iran,” the he reiterated, adding that it does not have any ties with other topics, including Taiwan.
However, Perdue did not budge on the claim that China has been giving “indirect support” to Iran. “We’re very concerned about this indirect work and we’ve made that very clear,” he said.
Since the US launched an attack on Iran alongwith Israel on February 28, multiple reports have claimed that China has been supporting Tehran. A recent report by CNN claimed that satellite imagery and intelligence support from China helped Iran threaten ships in Hormuz and launch precision strikes on US bases in the Middle East.
Another report by The Wall Street Journal said China supplied electronics components to Iran that can be used to make parts for drones and missile guidance systems.
The US administration had previously penalised three Chinese satellite imagery providers in May over intelligence sharing that facilitated targeting against US positions.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June that aimed to end the war, reopen the strait and launch talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.
