Trump warns Xi against support for Iran — China gives conflicting assurances

The Trump administration reportedly says Beijing has committed not to provide support to Iran, while an Iranian official says China intends to maintain its relationship with Tehran.

US President Donald Trump warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against providing direct or indirect support to Iran during their talks in Washington this week, according to US Ambassador to China David Perdue. Washington subsequently received assurances from Beijing that it would not provide such assistance, Perdue said on Friday (September 25).

Perdue, in an interview with CNBC, said Trump made his position clear to Xi, stressing that any Chinese assistance to Iran was “totally unacceptable.”

Reportedly, Trump's warning came amid reports that China had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers and had helped Tehran find ways to evade US sanctions on its oil exports.

China gives assurance, Perdue says

Asked by Fox News whether China would stop assisting Iran, Perdue said Washington had received assurances from Beijing on Thursday.

“We’ve seen movement ... on that already. That’s what the commitment is. They assured us yesterday they’re not doing that,” Perdue said.

US Lawmaker raises concerns

A US lawmaker has urged Trump to confront Xi over reports of Chinese assistance to Iran, particularly amid concerns that Chinese entities may have provided intelligence or targeting assistance that contributed to American casualties.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said on Wednesday that Trump should raise the issue with Xi during the summit, alleging that Chinese firms were helping Iran economically and militarily.

In a Senate speech, Shaheen cited reports that Iran had obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of a military base in Jordan from Chinese entities before launching a missile attack that killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded four others.

Tehran says Beijing won’t curb ties with Iran

Despite the assurances described by Perdue, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday that Chinese officials had assured Tehran that China would not restrict its economic, political or military ties with Iran because of pressure from Trump.

The contrasting accounts leave questions about the extent of any Chinese commitment to limit its relationship with Tehran.

China has not publicly commented on the specific allegations concerning military assistance to Iran.

Xi calls for negotiations

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday that Xi had called on the United States and Iran to return to negotiations aimed at ending the war.

However, Xi has not publicly addressed the allegations of Chinese support for Iran.

Trump and Xi also did not take formal questions from reporters during their three-day state visit to Washington, leaving officials from the two sides to provide accounts of the discussions.