Trump warns Xi against support for Iran, US ambassador says

President Donald Trump warned Chinese President Xi Jinping against supporting Iran during their talks in Washington, according to David Perdue, the US ambassador to China. Perdue said on September 25 that Beijing had given Washington assurances about its conduct, while China has not publicly confirmed a commitment in those terms.

The exchange places the Iran war inside the wider US-China relationship just as the leaders concluded Xi’s September 23–25 state visit. The White House described the visit as a chance to advance bilateral ties and confirmed that the presidents held discussions. Trump later acknowledged that they had discussed Iran, but did not provide a detailed account of that part of their conversation.

What the US ambassador said

Perdue said in a television interview that Trump told Xi direct or indirect Chinese support for Iran was “totally unacceptable.” In a separate interview, the ambassador said US officials had received assurances from Beijing the previous day that China was not providing such support. Those statements describe the American account of a private meeting; they do not independently establish the extent of Chinese activity or the terms of any understanding between the governments.

The question has grown more contentious as the United States and Israel continue their war with Iran, which began with strikes in late February. American lawmakers had pressed Trump to raise reports concerning Chinese entities and Iran. Beijing has rejected US allegations that it is helping Iran in the conflict. Reports of specific military supplies and sanctions evasion remain allegations or source-based accounts, rather than a publicly acknowledged Chinese government policy.

A senior Iranian official separately told Reuters that Chinese officials had assured Tehran its economic, political and military ties would not be curtailed under US pressure. That account was attributed to an unnamed official and was not a public Chinese statement. It differs from Perdue’s description of the assurances received by Washington, making the precise scope of any commitment unclear.

Diplomacy alongside the warning

China has publicly called for negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Chinese state media reported that Xi urged both sides to return to talks during his visit. The White House’s September 25 account of the state visit emphasized economic interests and the continuation of high-level engagement but did not announce a detailed agreement on Iran.

The visit produced limited movement on other issues. US and Chinese officials described an extension of their trade truce, while differences over Taiwan, trade and technology remained. Trump said he planned to see Xi again at gatherings later this year, and the White House highlighted their meetings and ceremonies in Washington.

The divergent accounts on Iran surfaced as diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remained unresolved. Perdue’s claim is significant as a statement of US expectations, but neither government has published a joint text specifying what China agreed to do. Xi’s public message, as reported by Chinese state media, focused on renewed negotiations between the United States and Iran.