Trump Warned Xi Over Iran Support, China Gave Assurances: US Envoy
US envoy David Perdue says Trump warned Xi against aiding Iran and Beijing assured Washington it would not; Iran claims China pledged to maintain ties.
US President Donald Trump warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against extending direct or indirect support to Iran during their talks in Washington this week, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said on Friday.
In an interview with CNBC, Perdue said Trump made his position clear to Xi, describing any Chinese assistance to Iran as "totally unacceptable." The warning came amid reports that China had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers and helped Tehran find ways to evade US sanctions on its oil exports.
Assurances from Beijing
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," he said.
Lawmaker's Concerns
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen urged Trump on Wednesday to confront Xi over the reports, alleging that Chinese firms were helping Iran economically and militarily. In a Senate speech, she 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 US soldiers and wounded four others.
Contrasting Iranian Account
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. 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, though he has not publicly addressed the allegations of Chinese support for Iran.
Trump and Xi did not take formal questions from reporters during their three-day state visit to Washington, leaving officials from both sides to provide accounts of the discussions.