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U.S. President Donald Trump warned that he was running out of patience with Iran, declaring, "I'm not going to be much more patient. No, I'm not. They should make a deal." He made this statement during a Fox News interview broadcast from Beijing, where he concluded a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit resulted in pledges from China not to supply Iran with military equipment, along with an agreement that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened.
China's Foreign Ministry declared there was "no point in continuing" the Iran war and Trump told Fox News he was "not going to be much more patient" with Tehran.
"I am not going to be much more patient," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity. "They should make a deal."
He said Xi Jinping backed a diplomatic solution, saying, "President Xi would like to see a deal made. He'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open. He said, 'If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.'"
Trump said he pressed Xi directly on Iran's nuclear program by stating, "Don't go crazy, you don't need them having a nuclear weapon." When Hannity asked whether Xi agreed, Trump said: "I think he did."
He added that Xi told him Beijing would not send military equipment to Iran: "He said he's not going to give military equipment. That's a big statement."
On the enriched uranium stockpile, a central U.S. demand, Trump acknowledged it was primarily a political rather than a strategic imperative: "I don't think it's necessary except from a public relations standpoint. I think it's important for the fake news that we get it. I'm the one who said we are going to get it."
"I just feel better if I got it, actually. But it's more for public relations than it is for anything else," he added, noting an alternative: "The other thing we could do is bomb it again."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the two presidents "agreed to strengthen communication and coordination on international and regional issues," reached "new common understandings" and agreed on a "new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability."
On Iran, Beijing's readout said Xi and Trump had "reached important common understandings on handling their mutual concerns."
China separately stated on Friday that there was "no point in continuing this conflict, which should not have happened in the first place," and that "the door to dialogue has now been opened and should not be shut again."
The Foreign Ministry called for a comprehensive ceasefire, reopening of shipping lanes "as soon as possible" and a political settlement on the nuclear issue. It said reopening Hormuz was vital to keeping the "global supply chains stable and unimpeded."
The White House readout said Xi made clear China's opposition to the militarization of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for transit, and that Xi expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China's dependence on the waterway.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC from Beijing that he believed China would "do what they can" to help open the strait.
The diplomacy unfolded against a backdrop of continuing Gulf incidents. An Indian cargo vessel carrying livestock from Africa to the United Arab Emirates was sunk on Wednesday in waters off Oman.
India condemned the attack, saying all 14 crew were rescued by the Omani coast guard. Security firm Vanguard assessed that the vessel was hit by a missile or drone.
British maritime agency UKMTO separately reported Thursday that a ship anchored off the UAE port of Fujairah had been boarded by "unauthorized personnel" and steered toward Iran, with Vanguard citing a company security officer who said it was "taken by Iranian personnel while at anchor."
Iran appeared to be selectively reopening the strait under its own terms: a Japanese tanker crossed on Wednesday after Japan's prime minister publicly asked the Iranian president for help; a large Chinese tanker also crossed, and Fars News Agency reported an agreement to allow some Chinese ships through.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said 30 vessels had passed since Wednesday evening, still far below the typical pre-war daily total of 140, but a significant increase. Shipping analytics firm Kpler counted around 10 transits in the prior 24 hours, up from five to seven in recent weeks.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper told the Senate on Thursday that Iran's ability to threaten its neighbors and U.S. regional interests had been "significantly degraded across every domain," though Cooper declined to directly address reports that Iran retained significant missile and drone capabilities.
Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington on Thursday were described as "productive and positive" by a senior State Department official, with talks continuing through Friday.
Reacting to Xi's reported reference to the United States as a "perhaps declining nation," Trump posted on Truth Social that Xi "was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden," and insisting President Xi "was not referring to the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump administration."
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