Trump raises Iran arms concerns in messages with Xi
Photo: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump announces that he exchanged letters with Chinese leader Xi Jinping regarding possible arms shipments to Iran, according to Bloomberg.
Trump says he wrote a letter to Xi out of concern over arms sales amid the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
"He (Xi Jinping – ed.) responded to the letter I wrote because I heard that China is supplying weapons—that is, you see it everywhere—to Iran—that China is supplying weapons," the US President says in an interview recorded on Tuesday, April 14.
"And I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that, essentially, he isn’t doing that," he states.
The US President does not specify exactly when the letters were sent.
Trump also downplays the impact of US actions regarding Iran and Venezuela when asked how this would affect the dynamics of the upcoming summit with Xi.
"I don’t think it will have an impact. I mean, he’s a guy who needs oil. And we don’t," he says.
Earlier this week, he told reporters that the Chinese leader had not contacted him directly regarding the Iranian conflict, adding that, in his opinion, the Chinese leader would also like to see this end.
The exchange of letters took place ahead of Trump's visit to Beijing, scheduled for May 14–15, where a summit with Xi Jinping is set to take place.
China may be helping Iran
Recently, Trump stated that any assistance to the Iranian regime would come at a high cost to China. He made this remark in a comment to CNN.
When asked by the media about US intelligence indicating that Beijing is preparing to send weapons to Iran, he noted that the country would face consequences if it did so.
The US President also threatened to impose 50% tariffs on goods from countries that supply weapons to Tehran.
China has already responded to the accusations regarding military aid to Tehran and threatened the US with retaliatory measures.
