Trump and Xi Summit Fails to Deliver Iran War Breakthrough, Strait of Hormuz Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped a summit in Beijing with little evidence of a breakthrough on how to end the war on Iran, which the Al Jazeera report said was in its 77th day.

Al Jazeera said the war began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran amid talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear programme, and Iran hit back the same day with missile and drone attacks across the region.

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In a statement issued while Trump was in Beijing, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The conflict has inflicted severe losses on the people in Iran and other regional countries,” and it called for “a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire as soon as possible.”

The White House said in an X account statement that “the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” while Al Jazeera reported that since early March Iran restricted shipping through the strait.

The CNBC report added that Trump said Xi had ruled out sending military assistance to forces in Iran, while offering diplomatic help, as Trump told Fox News, “He'd like to see Hormuz Strait opened.”

Trump told reporters on board Air Force One on Friday that he and Xi “agree almost entirely” on the situation in Iran, while he said he was “not asking for any favors” as he pressed for Hormuz to reopen.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said Xi offered to help broker an end to the war and quoted Xi saying, “if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help,” as CNBC framed it as diplomatic help rather than military assistance.

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The Al Jazeera account said the White House stated that “Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” while it noted that the Chinese statement did not explicitly mention that formulation.

Al Jazeera reported that the Chinese Foreign Ministry acknowledged the conflict “has put a heavy strain on global economic growth, supply chains, international trade order and the stability of global energy supply,” but it said the statement made no reference to Iranian tolls or the militarisation of the strait.

DW reported that Xi did not mention Iran in his remarks to the press on Friday and instead warned that “The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” signaling that Taiwan remained central to the summit’s messaging.

The summit unfolded as the Strait of Hormuz crisis disrupted global energy markets, with Al Jazeera reporting that before the war 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies were shipped through the strait.

“Trump and Xi hold final day of critical meetings in China For weeks leading up to United States President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, his administration has been pressing China to lean on Iran amid negotiations aimed at reaching a peace deal between Washington and Tehran”

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera said the White House statement added that Xi expressed opposition to “the militarisation of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use,” while it reported that Washington had announced a naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports in April.

An Anadolu Ajansı report said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged negotiations and dialogue after the summit, saying, “China encourages the US and Iran to continue resolving their differences and disputes, including the nuclear issue, through negotiations,” and it added that Wang advocated “the swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on the basis of maintaining a ceasefire.”

The same Anadolu Ajansı account said Wang told reporters the leaders held nearly nine hours of talks during Trump’s three-day state visit to China and described the discussions as “candid, in-depth and strategic.”

Meanwhile, the CBS News report said a U.K. maritime agency stated that a ship was taken by unknown parties off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near the Strait of Hormuz and was headed toward Iranian waters, after an Indian-flagged vessel was attacked off Oman.