Kamal Ghorui
US President Donald Trump said China was “very happy” with his decision to permanently open the Strait of Hormuz, emphasising that he was “doing it for them” and the rest of the world. He added that the situation would not recur and claimed that China had agreed not to send weapons to Iran.“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran,” Trump said through a post on Truth Social.Trump also said he expected a warm reception from Chinese President Xi Jinping during a planned visit in the coming weeks, noting that the two countries were working together “smartly” and effectively. He added, however, that while cooperation was preferable to conflict, the United States remained highly capable militarily if required.“President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!” Trump added.Trump had earlier said he had written to Chinese President Xi Jinping urging him not to supply weapons to Iran, adding that Xi responded by saying China was not providing arms to Tehran.Trump, in the interview taped on Tuesday, did not specify when the letters were exchanged. Last week, he also warned that countries supplying weapons to Iran could face immediate tariffs of up to 50 per cent.“I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that, essentially, he’s not doing that,” Trump told Fox News.Forty-five days after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared the Strait closed, effectively disrupting about 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, transit through the key waterway remains uncertain, despite a two-week ceasefire. Traffic has fallen to a fraction of the more than 130 daily crossings recorded before the conflict, sources said on Tuesday.Trump said talks with Tehran on ending the war could resume this week, after negotiations over the weekend ended without a breakthrough. However, the United States has also imposed a blockade on shipping from Iranian ports, with the military saying on Wednesday that maritime trade to and from the country has been completely halted.
