US President Donald Trump on 20 May revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had personally assured him that Beijing was not supplying weapons to Iran, as the Trump administration pressed ahead with diplomatic efforts to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The disclosure came during remarks to reporters at a White House construction site.

Xi's Assurance and Trump's Response

'President Xi has promised me that he's not sending any weapons to Iran,' Trump said. 'That's a beautiful promise. I take him at his word.' Trump added that the two leaders had cultivated a strong personal rapport through recent engagements, describing their interactions as 'an amazing time.'

The remarks underscore a delicate balancing act for the Trump administration — maintaining pressure on Iran while keeping diplomatic channels open with China, one of Tehran's most significant economic partners and a major buyer of Iranian oil despite years of US sanctions.

China's Strategic Interest, Per Trump

Trump argued that Beijing had its own incentive to keep the region stable. 'You know, if you think about it, he gets 40 per cent of his oil,' Trump said, referring to Xi. 'He wants it open. Like me, I want it open.' The President framed China's energy dependence on the Middle East as a natural alignment of interests with Washington's goal of keeping the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waterways open.

Trump also accused Iran of weaponising strategic waterways for decades. 'Iran has used the straits as a military weapon for 47 years,' he said. 'That's not their strait, that's international waterways.'

Iran's Military Capacity, as Assessed by Trump

Trump made sweeping claims about the degraded state of Iran's armed forces. 'Their missiles are 82 per cent gone, we estimate,' he said. 'Their Navy is completely gone; their Air Force is completely gone.' He acknowledged Iran retained 'a little capacity' to retaliate but contended its ability to rebuild had been severely curtailed. 'Their capacity to build is very little right now because we hit all of their manufacturing areas,' Trump said. These assessments were not independently verified.

How Close to Military Action

In a striking disclosure, Trump said the US had come within an hour of ordering additional military strikes before regional allies intervened. 'I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,' he said, without specifying the target or timeline. The comment signals the degree of military pressure the administration has been prepared to apply even as negotiations continue.

Regional Partners and the Nuclear Red Line

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait are reportedly coordinating with Washington in the ongoing Iran negotiations, according to Trump. Israel was also cited as 'a great partner.' On Iran's nuclear ambitions, Trump drew an absolute line: 'If they had a nuclear weapon, they would start with Israel. It would be nuclear holocaust.' He linked prolonged regional conflict to global energy markets, noting large vessels loading supplies from Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska as a contingency signal.

Beijing has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions and called for diplomatic engagement on Iran's nuclear programme — making Trump's claim of Xi's direct assurance a notable, if unverified, diplomatic development to watch.