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U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. forces intercepted a ship carrying what he described as a possible "gift from China" to Iran, as questions continued over alleged Chinese support for Tehran during the ceasefire period.
Speaking on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Trump referred to a ship intercepted the previous day and said it was carrying "some things on it" that were "not very nice."
It was not immediately clear which vessel he was referring to, and the White House did not provide additional details.
"We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn't very nice," Trump said.
"A gift from China, perhaps, I don't know. But I was a little surprised, because I have a very good relationship, and I thought I had an understanding with President Xi," he added.
In a separate account of the remarks, Trump said the ship had "a gift from China" intended for Iran as Tehran sought to restock its military during a ceasefire period.
It was not clear from Trump's remarks which ship he was referring to.
The White House did not immediately provide further information.
Trump's comments came a day after U.S. forces intercepted a vessel, according to the reports.
CNN reported last week that U.S. intelligence indicated China was preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks.
Trump had previously said Beijing would face consequences if it sent weapons to Tehran.
"If China does that, China will have big problems, OK?" he said last week.
According to the reports, Trump also said a week earlier that Xi had assured him there would be no Chinese weapons deliveries to Iran, which has long been a close partner of Beijing.
Despite his earlier warning, Trump appeared less forceful on Tuesday when speaking about potential Chinese support for Iran.
"That's all right," he said. "That's the way war goes, right?"
His remarks came ahead of a planned visit to Beijing next month.
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