ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/DUBAI, May 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump expressed that his patience with Iran is wearing thin. He mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that Iran should reopen the Strait...
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/DUBAI, May 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump expressed that his patience with Iran is wearing thin. He mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that Iran should reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though China did not indicate it would take action on this matter.
On his return flight from Beijing after a two-day meeting with Xi, Trump stated he was contemplating lifting U.S. sanctions on Chinese oil companies that purchase Iranian oil, as China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil.
While Trump spoke, he did not clarify if Beijing would use its influence on Tehran to resolve the conflict, which Xi believes shouldn't have started in the first place.
“I’m not asking for any favors because favors come with obligations,” Trump said when asked by a reporter if Xi committed to pressuring Iran to reopen the strait.
Trump also mentioned, “We’ve essentially wiped out their (Iran’s) armed forces. We might need to do some cleanup work.”
Xi did not comment on his discussions with Trump regarding Iran, but China’s foreign ministry released a straightforward statement expressing frustration with the Iran conflict.
“This conflict, which should never have occurred, has no reason to continue,” the ministry stated.
‘WE WANT THE STRAITS OPEN’, SAYS TRUMP
Iran effectively closed the strait to most shipping after U.S.-Israeli attacks began on February 28, leading to an unprecedented disruption in global energy supplies.
Although the U.S. paused its attacks on Iran last month, it has implemented a blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran stated that it will not reopen the strait until the U.S. lifts its blockade. Trump has threatened further military action against Iran if a deal isn't reached.
“We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon; we want the straits open,” Trump noted during his talks in Beijing, sitting next to Xi.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi mentioned that Tehran received messages from the U.S. suggesting Washington was willing to keep the conversation going.
“We hope that as negotiations progress, we will achieve a good resolution to fully secure the Strait of Hormuz and speed up the normalization of traffic through it,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
Despite long denying any intentions of developing nuclear weapons, Iran has refused to halt its nuclear research or give up its concealed stockpile of enriched uranium, causing frustration for Trump.
“I am not going to be much more patient. They need to make a deal,” Trump stated during an interview aired Thursday night on Fox News’ “Hannity” program. He suggested that securing enriched uranium was more for “public relations” purposes than out of practical necessity.
Oil prices LCOc1 increased by about 2% to around $108 a barrel due to concerns over the conflict's lack of resolution.