U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not think he will need China’s help to end the war with Iran, even as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz.
Ahead of a high-stakes summit in Beijing, Trump said he did not think he would need to enlist Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve the conflict, which has continued to block maritime traffic that normally provides one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
“I don’t think we need any help with Iran. We’ll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise,” he told reporters.
More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, the two sides have made no progress on an agreement to end hostilities.Iran, meanwhile, has appeared to firm up its control over the Strait of Hormuz, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
Other countries are exploring similar deals, sources said, in a move that could normalise Tehran’s control of the waterway on a more permanent basis.
The Donald Trump administration said on Tuesday that senior U.S. and Chinese officials had agreed last month that no country should be able to charge tolls on traffic through the region, in an effort to project consensus on the issue ahead of the summit.
China, which maintains ties with Iran and remains a major buyer of its oil, did not dispute that characterization.
Trump is due to discuss the war with Xi during meetings scheduled for Thursday to Friday, and is widely expected to encourage China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict.
U.S. demands include ending Iran’s nuclear program and lifting its chokehold on the strait.
Iran has responded with demands of its own, including compensation for war damage, the lifting of the U.S. blockade, and an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. Donald Trump dismissed those positions as “garbage” on Monday.