During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump urged him to immediately halt any form of assistance being provided to Iran. This was confirmed by David Perdue, the U.S. Ambassador to China, in an interview with CNBC on Friday. The Trump administration views China’s ongoing economic, intelligence, and military support as a major obstacle to its efforts to economically isolate Iran amid the ongoing conflict.
American officials believe that it is impossible to impose full economic pressure on Iran without cutting off China’s support. Since the onset of the war, China has been supplying Iran with parts necessary for building air defense systems and drones, raising concerns among U.S. officials. In recent weeks, American authorities have claimed that Iran has used high-resolution images obtained from a Chinese commercial Earth observation satellite to target U.S. military bases, aircraft carriers, and naval vessels in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.
Following these revelations, the U.S. military adjusted its operational procedures to prevent Iran from easily locating the positions of U.S. ships. Ambassador Perdue told CNBC, “We had already made it clear to China a few weeks ago that any direct or indirect assistance to Iran—whether in intelligence, parts, or military equipment—is completely unacceptable to us. President Trump has reiterated this point.”
Perdue added, “We have made it clear to China that the Iran issue is entirely separate and cannot be linked in any way to Taiwan. We have evidence that China has listened to us. They have withdrawn some steps, and we have proof they paid attention when President Trump spoke about Iran.” Conversely, according to Chinese state media, President Xi urged Trump to return to the June memorandum of understanding (MOU) by reviving the nuclear deal to reduce tensions with Iran. Xi stated, “China has encouraged the parties involved to remain committed to a peaceful resolution and to maintain an environment conducive to dialogue.”
