President Donald Trump ended his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping without a major announcement, though the two leaders reportedly discussed several major issues, including trade, Taiwan and Iran.
During their private meeting, the issue of Iran came up, though China’s foreign ministry said only that the leaders discussed the “Middle East.” The White House provided additional details, saying both sides agreed “the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy.”
The White House also said Xi expressed China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait and indicated interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the strategic waterway in the future.
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Both leaders also agreed that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon.
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to the United States, Trump said he also discussed the possibility of lifting U.S. sanctions on Chinese companies that purchase Iranian oil.
“We talked about that, and I’m going to make a decision over the next few days,” Trump said.
If Trump were to lift those sanctions, it would benefit both Chinese companies purchasing Iranian oil and Iran itself, which has struggled to sell oil products because of existing U.S. sanctions.
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran remain at an impasse as the two sides continue negotiations over a long-term peace deal. While a fragile ceasefire remains in place, so does the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, and the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.
The U.S. State Department also noted progress on a separate but related diplomatic front. Officials said the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been extended by 45 days, with additional meetings scheduled for June.
