US President Donald Trump said that he does not need China’s help to end the conflict with Iran, adding that he will have extensive talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during their summit this week. “We will have extensive discussions on this subject,” he told reporters.
China is a major economic partner of Iran, purchasing the majority of Tehran’s oil production, and is also one of its strongest diplomatic backers.
But Trump emphasized that he does not need Xi’s help to find a way out of the conflict that erupted two and a half months ago following a US-Israeli attack, before later escalating into a struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said, “We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control.” He added, “Either we make a deal, or they will be crushed.”
This comes at a time when reports indicate that China continues to help arm Iran and purchase oil subject to US sanctions.
Trump added that Xi’s position is “relatively good.” He pointed out that the Chinese “get a large portion of their oil from that region. We haven’t had any problems. He’s a friend of mine, someone we get along with.”
He said he would ask President Xi Jinping, during their summit this week, to “open up” China to American companies.
Delegations from China and the United States began economic and trade consultations in South Korea on Wednesday.
The Pentagon also announced that the cost of a war with Iran has risen to approximately $29 billion, amid increasing scrutiny of President Trump regarding the conflict and its impact on military readiness.
Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a warning to the United States, urging it to accept the terms of Iran’s proposal to end the war in the Middle East or “face failure,” a day after Trump declared that the ceasefire was under “life support.”
On another front, Iran denied Kuwait’s claims that four Revolutionary Guard officers attempted to infiltrate Boubyan Island, stating that the accusation was “completely baseless” and that the military personnel entered Kuwaiti waters due to a navigation system malfunction.
A British government statement also announced the UK’s contribution of drones, fighter jets, and a warship to a multinational mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Following a meeting of 40 countries, Australia announced it would contribute an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft, which has been deployed to the region to protect the UAE from Iranian drone attacks.
In Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Health’s Emergency Operations Center in a statement on Tuesday said that 13 people, including a soldier and two paramedics, were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting three towns in southern Lebanon. (AFP/ EIR)
