‘Xi agreed no nukes for Iran’: Trump after China visit, says THIS on Hormuz

US President Donald Trump, after returning from a visit to China, said Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that Iran should not have nuclear weapons and that the Strait of Hormuz must be kept open. He further said that the US cannot control Hormuz, adding Iran has done “no business” in the last two and a half weeks. 

In an interview with Fox News after meeting Xi on Thursday, Trump said, “I have a lot of respect for him. On Iran, he feels strongly that they can’t have a nuclear weapon–said that very strongly, they can’t have a nuclear weapon–and he wants them to open up the strait. But as he said, they close it, and you close them. And it’s true, we (US) control the strait, and they (Iran) have done no business in the last two and a half weeks, which is approximately 500 million dollars a day.”

Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday evening after a brief refuelling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. He said he had secured major trade agreements during the visit, including the sale of 200 Boeing aircraft to China, with a promise for another 750, and said there was also a commitment to support the American agriculture sector.

DO CHECKOUT:  BT Explainer | What is the ‘Thucydides Trap’? Why Xi raised it during high-stakes Trump summit

Describing his discussions with Xi as a meeting between the leaders of two major powers, Trump told Fox News, “It’s the two great countries. I call it the G-2. I think it’ll go down as a very important moment in history.”

Trump also spoke about Taiwan and suggested China may avoid any aggressive move there while he remains in office. “It’s not a takeover. They just don’t want to see this place – we’ll call it a place because nobody knows how to define it – but they don’t want to see it go independent,” Trump said.

He added, “I don’t think they’ll do anything when I’m here. When I’m not here. I think they might, to be honest with you,” Trump said. “I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down. We’re not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that,” Trump stated.

MUST READ | ‘Referring to the tremendous damage…’: Trump says he 100% agrees with Xi that US is in decline

Trump also said he had invited Xi to visit Washington in September.

Amid the diplomatic remarks, footage obtained by Reuters showed vessels idling around the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, as the US and Iran remained at odds and failed to reach an agreement that would ease Tehran’s grip on the waterway.

According to sources, Iran has appeared to firm up its control over the Strait in recent days by cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region. Iranian officials have signalled that they see control of the Strait as a long-term strategic goal.

An army spokesperson said supervision of the waterway could generate revenue amounting to twice Iran’s oil income, while also strengthening its foreign policy leverage. More than a month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, the US and Iran remain far apart in their demands to end the war.

Washington has called on Tehran to scrap its nuclear programme and lift its hold on the Strait, while Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the US blockade and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah.