September 26, 2026

Trump told Xi that China helping Iran is unacceptable, US ambassador says

He says Washington received assurances from Beijing that it would stop assisting Iran

Trump told Xi that China helping Iran is unacceptable, US ambassador says
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands alongside US first lady Melania Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, after visiting the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, US, Sept 25, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Reuters

Published : 25 Sep 2026, 11:07 PM

Updated : 25 Sep 2026, 11:07 PM

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he discussed the Iran war with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the US ambassador to China said Trump in White House talks made clear that Chinese help for Iran is unacceptable.

"We did," Trump told reporters when asked whether he talked to Xi about Iran. "I think we're going to do great."

The US Ambassador to China David Perdue in a Friday CNBC interview said Trump reiterated to Xi that direct or indirect support for Iran was "totally unacceptable."

Asked separately on Fox News if that meant China would stop assisting Iran, Perdue said Washington received assurances from Beijing on Thursday.

"We've seen movement ... on that already. That's what the commitment is. They assured us yesterday they're not doing that," Perdue told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" programme.

Trump and Xi did not take formal questions during the three-day state visit to Washington.

Earlier this month, Trump brushed aside a report that Iran acquired satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese ‌entities before an attack that killed three US troops there in July.

"They basically do what we do," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sept 13. "When they say China spies on us, I say you're right and we spy on them too."

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