President Donald Trump toughened his stance against the Iranian regime on Thursday and warned that Washington's patience “will not last much longer” if Tehran continues to reject the conditions put forward by the United States to end the conflict in the Middle East.
“I am not going to be much more patient. They should reach an agreement,” Trump stated during an interview on Fox News following his meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The statements came amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and after new maritime incidents attributed to Iranian forces off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Trump and Xi agreed to isolate Iran
The White House reported that both leaders agreed on several strategic points:
Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons
the Strait of Hormuz must remain open
China rejects the militarization of the maritime route
Beijing will not send military equipment to Tehran
Trump also revealed that Xi Jinping personally conveyed to him that China has no intention of providing military assistance to the Iranian regime.
“He said he is not going to give military equipment, which is an important statement,” the U.S. president asserted.
The summit highlighted a partial alignment between Washington and Beijing regarding the need to stabilize global energy trade and prevent further escalation in the Middle East.
The Strait of Hormuz remains the center of the conflict
The war has severely disrupted maritime traffic in one of the planet's most important energy routes.
Before the conflict that began on February 28 with the United States and Israel against Iran, nearly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed daily through the Strait of Hormuz.
In recent hours:
a ship was boarded by Iranian forces off Fujairah
an Indian vessel sank near Oman after a possible missile or drone attack
several vessels reduced or suspended operations in the area
According to maritime consultancies, traffic remains well below normal levels prior to the war.
Trump pushes for a comprehensive agreement
Washington demands that Iran:
