NEW YORK Sept 25, 2026 – U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he raised the seven-month war with Iran during his White House summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding an upbeat assessment of the talks.
“We did,” Trump told reporters when asked whether the two leaders discussed the conflict. “I think we’re going to do great.” A widely circulated report from the geopolitics-focused account @BRICSinfo quoted him as saying, “We are doing great.”
The comments came after Xi’s state visit to Washington, which included a military review, Oval Office talks, and public remarks on Thursday. The meeting was the pair’s latest high-level encounter this year after Trump’s visit to Beijing in May.
Chinese officials said Xi told Trump that Beijing supports a return by the United States and Iran to the June 2026 Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. That short-lived framework was meant to halt fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and open a 60-day window for a broader agreement that would include Iran’s nuclear program. The deal collapsed amid renewed exchanges over control of the waterway.
Xi also restated China’s view that the sovereignty and security of all nations should be respected and that China has played a “constructive role” in easing tensions. He expressed hope the two sides would resume negotiations and reach a comprehensive settlement.
U.S. officials offered a different emphasis. Ambassador to China David Perdue said Trump made clear that any direct or indirect Chinese assistance to Iran was “totally unacceptable.” Perdue added that Washington had received assurances from Beijing that such support would not continue.
China is Iran’s largest oil customer and a key economic partner. Roughly 40-50 percent of China’s seaborne crude has historically passed through the Strait of Hormuz, giving Beijing a strong interest in restoring shipping even as it has resisted using maximum pressure on Tehran. The United States has repeatedly urged China to leverage that relationship to push Iran toward U.S. terms.
The war itself began on February 28, 2026, with U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran. A brief cease-fire in April and the June memorandum both failed to hold. Shipping through the strait has been repeatedly disrupted, with both sides conducting strikes and Iran asserting control over transit routes at various points. As of Friday, Iranian officials were floating a plan that could reopen the waterway within seven days under certain conditions.
Trump has previously claimed Xi offered help in ending the war and pledged not to supply Iran with weapons. Those earlier statements produced no immediate breakthrough, and the latest round of talks produced no public announcement of a new joint initiative.
The two leaders also discussed Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and trade during the visit. Trump described their personal relationship as a “truly great friendship,” while Xi called for “constructive strategic stability” and warned against moves that could lead to confrontation. No joint statement on Iran was issued.
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