Trump says he discussed Iran war with China's Xi

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had discussed the war with Iran during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, confirming for the first time publicly that the conflict was raised during the Chinese leader's state visit to Washington. The remark came on the final day of Xi's two-day visit, as Trump showed his guest around the National Archives. Asked by reporters whether Iran had come up in their conversations, Trump replied simply, "We did, we did."

The statement follows repeated allegations from Washington that Beijing has been providing support to Tehran amid the ongoing war. US Ambassador to China David Perdue said in an interview with CNBC on the same day that Trump had made clear to Xi that any Chinese assistance to Iran — whether direct or indirect, whether intelligence, equipment or military parts — was "totally unacceptable." Perdue described the warning as an "ongoing drumbeat" that Washington had been delivering to Beijing for weeks and that Trump had reiterated directly to Xi during their talks.

Asked whether he expected progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump responded optimistically, saying "I think we're going to do great." The strait is one of the world's most important routes for oil shipments, and any disruption tied to the wider conflict could have significant consequences for global energy supplies.

China, for its part, had already signaled ahead of the visit that it favors a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. According to reports, China's Foreign Ministry stated that a prolonged conflict between the United States and Iran does not serve the common interests of the international community and called for dialogue. This positions Beijing publicly as an advocate for negotiations, even as US officials continue to raise concerns about alleged Chinese material support for Tehran.

The state visit marked the first time a Chinese president had visited the White House in more than a decade, and multiple accounts describe a notably warm atmosphere between Trump and Xi — a contrast with the sharper rhetoric Trump has used toward China in the past. In a symbolic gesture, Xi announced that two giant pandas would soon be sent to the Atlanta Zoo. During a tea ceremony at the White House, Xi formally invited Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to visit China, and both sides confirmed they would meet twice more before the end of the year, including at the APEC summit in China and the G20 summit in the United States.

Beyond the discussion of Iran, reports indicate that trade issues and the regulation of artificial intelligence were also part of the agenda between the two delegations. However, no concrete breakthroughs were announced in these areas; several assessments describe the visit as marked by considerable ceremony and symbolism but limited substantive progress. At a White House dinner attended by leading figures from American business, observers also focused on the seating arrangements, drawing conclusions about which executives currently enjoy particular closeness to the president.

What remains unclear is whether any concrete commitments or agreements were reached regarding the Iran conflict specifically. Neither Trump's remarks nor the ambassador's comments indicate whether China agreed to any of Washington's demands or whether the two sides reached an understanding on next steps. It is also uncertain how the announced future meetings between Trump and Xi might affect the course of the war or the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The visit concluded with mutual invitations and announcements of further meetings, but without independently confirmed details about concrete outcomes from the Iran-related discussions. It therefore remains unclear what practical influence China might exert — or is willing to exert — on a potential resolution of the conflict.