President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and free from any militarization, according to the White House.
“President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future,” the White House said.
The vital waterway was just one topic discussed during Trump’s sit-down with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing, which the White House described as “good.”
“Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” a read-out from the meeting said.
The strait – a vital route for around 25% of the world’s oil supply – has effectively been closed since the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.
Tehran has been strengthening its grip on the shipping line – with more than 300 fast boats detected on Wednesday, according to Windward AI.
This marked a decline from 454 boats, reported on Tuesday, according to the group.
Washington claims around 90% of Iran’s navy has been either obliterated or severely degraded – but US intelligence reports appear to paint a different picture, the New York Times reported.
Iran has reportedly restored operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the strait, according to one assessment.
In a fiery Truth Social post, President Trump snapped at outlets that claim “the Iranian enemy is doing well.”
“Iran had 159 ships in their Navy — Every single ship is now resting at the bottom of the sea. They have no Navy, their Air Force is gone, all Technology is gone, their “leaders” are no longer with us, and the Country is an Economic Disaster,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, the US-Iranian cease-fire, which has been in place since April 8, is hanging by a thread.
Earlier this week, Trump said the truce is “on life support” and told reporters he was “thinking about” his red line for ending the cease-fire.
Iran has threatened to teach Washington “a lesson” if attacks restart.
“Our armed forces are ready to respond and to teach a lesson for any aggression,” the regime’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X.
“Mistaken strategy and mistaken decisions will always lead to mistaken results— the entire world has already understood this. We are prepared for all options; they will be astonished.”
With Post wires
