Donald Trump says Xi Jinping agrees Iran must reopen Strait of Hormuz, but no sign China will intervene

US President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though Beijing gave no indication it would intervene directly.

Speaking aboard Air Force One while returning from Beijing after two days of talks with Xi, Trump said he was considering lifting US sanctions on Chinese oil companies purchasing Iranian crude. China remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil.

“I’m not asking for any favors because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return,” Trump said when asked whether Xi had made a firm commitment to pressure Iran into reopening the strait.

Xi did not publicly comment on discussions related to Iran, though China’s foreign ministry criticized the conflict, saying it “should never have happened” and had “no reason to continue.”

‘We want the straits open’

Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route that previously carried nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28. The disruption has triggered a major global energy crisis and sent oil prices soaring.

Ebrahim Azizi said on Saturday that Tehran had prepared a mechanism to regulate traffic through the strait along a designated route, details of which would be announced soon.

Azizi said only commercial vessels and countries cooperating with Iran would be allowed access, with fees to be charged for specialized services. Thousands of Iranians were killed in US and Israeli airstrikes, according to Iranian officials.

Thousands more have died in Lebanon during fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, although Israel and Lebanon agreed on Friday to extend a ceasefire by 45 days.

The US paused direct attacks last month but imposed a port blockade. The US military said 78 commercial vessels had been redirected and four disabled to enforce the blockade.

Tehran, which has launched strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states since the war began, has said it will not reopen the strait until Washington lifts the blockade. Trump has warned the US could resume attacks if Iran refuses a deal.

“We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon, we want the straits open,” Trump said in Beijing alongside Xi.

Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons but has refused to halt nuclear research or surrender its enriched uranium stockpile. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had received signals from Washington suggesting a willingness to continue negotiations.

Pakistan has been mediating between the US and Iran. Iranian state-linked outlet Nournews reported that Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni held “detailed” talks with his visiting Pakistani counterpart on bilateral ties and prospects for reviving peace talks.

Trump says patience running out

Trump said in an interview with Fox News aired Thursday that he was “losing patience” with Iran and urged Tehran to “make a deal.”

Despite the continuing crisis and its economic fallout, Iran plans to reopen its stock market on Tuesday after suspending trading at the start of the US-Israeli strikes, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.

“The suspension of stock market activities from the start of the war was aimed at protecting shareholders’ assets, preventing panic-driven trading and allowing for more transparent pricing conditions,” said Hamid Yari.

Negotiations to end the conflict have remained stalled since last week, when both Iran and the US rejected each other’s latest proposals.

Araghchi said Friday that Iran welcomed potential Chinese involvement in diplomacy, while stressing Tehran remained distrustful of Washington after previous talks were interrupted by airstrikes.

When the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, they said one objective was to weaken the government and encourage internal opposition.

However, there has been little visible organized dissent during the war, while rights groups say Iranian authorities have intensified crackdowns on opponents.

Iran’s judiciary said Saturday that 39 people had been executed since the conflict began on charges including collaboration with Israeli or US intelligence agencies and involvement in armed unrest, according to judiciary-linked outlet Mizan.

Another 36 “medium-level” dissidents received lengthy prison terms, the report said.