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World
Trump said he does not object to freezing Iran’s nuclear program for 20 years, provided the commitment is genuine, following his summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing.
A 20-year freeze on Iran’s nuclear program is something U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not oppose, as long as the pledge is “real.” The remark, reported by Reuters, came after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing that Trump departed on Friday, calling it “historic.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during his return to the United States following a two-day official visit to China, Trump stated he would decide “within days” whether to lift sanctions on Chinese oil companies that purchase Iranian crude.
Trump’s comments offered no clear indication on whether Beijing, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, would leverage its influence with Tehran to end the conflict—a dispute China has described as “something that should never have happened.” The president denied asking his Chinese counterpart to pressure Iran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The president also criticized a New York Times report that, citing satellite imagery and surveillance methods, claimed Iran had regained operational control over 30 of 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz and had fully or partially reactivated about 90% of its underground missile storage and launch facilities. Trump told the newspaper’s correspondent that his coverage of Iran “borders on treason,” insisting that 80% of Iran’s missile capabilities had been destroyed.
Trump revealed that he discussed the Taiwan issue “a lot” with Xi during the summit but made no commitment to the Chinese leader regarding the island. He clarified that the topic of semiconductor chips was not raised in the talks with the Chinese side.
The U.S. president announced progress in “settling many different problems,” without disclosing any substantive agreements on the most sensitive issues in U.S.-China competition.
