US President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out and that he had agreed in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Tehran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
With official agreements from the US-China summit yet to be released, Trump's comments gave little indication of whether Beijing, the main buyer of Iranian oil, might use its influence with Tehran to end a conflict it said should never have started.
"We've settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn't have been able to settle," Trump said on Friday after he met Xi in Beijing on the second day of talks which included the Iran war, Taiwan, trade and other issues.
Xi did not comment on his discussions with Trump about Iran, although China's foreign ministry issued a blunt statement outlining Beijing's frustration with the Iran war.
"This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue," the ministry said.
Iran effectively shut the strait to most shipping traffic in response to US-Israeli attacks which began on February 28, causing an unprecedented disruption to global energy supplies.
'We want the Straits open'
The US paused its attacks on Iran last month but began a blockade of the country's ports. Tehran said it would not unblock the strait until the US ended its blockade. Trump has threatened to attack Iran again if it does not agree a deal.
"We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon, we want the straits open," Trump said in Beijing.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran had received messages from the US indicating Washington was willing to continue talks and engagement. He did not immediately elaborate on the issue.
Iran, which denies it intends to build a nuclear weapon, has refused to end its nuclear program or relinquish its hidden stockpile of enriched uranium, to Trump's frustration.
Also Read: US ready for deal if Iran suspends nuclear programme for 20 years: Trump
"I am not going to be much more patient. They should make a deal," Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News' "Hannity" program, suggesting the enriched uranium only needed to be secured by the US for public relations purposes.
Oil prices rose around 3% to near $109 a barrel on concerns over a lack of progress in resolving the conflict.
After talks between Trump and Xi on Thursday, the White House said that Xi had made clear China's opposition to any Iranian effort to charge a toll for use of the strait.
Trump said Xi also promised not to send Iran military equipment. "He said he’s not going to give military equipment, that’s a big statement," Trump said on "Hannity".
Iran says it does not trust the Americans
The war has become an electoral liability for Trump as it drags on towards key US midterm elections in November.
China has dismissed reports it had plans to supply weapons to Iran as "groundless smears", but analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Iran hard or end support for its military, given its value as a strategic counterweight to the United States.
"I don't need favours," Trump told reporters on his plane returning from Beijing, when asked if he had requested help.
Talks on ending the war, mediated by Pakistan, have been on hold since last week when Iran and the US each rejected the other's most recent proposals.
Also Read: China can help resolve Iran–US tensions: Araghchi
Foreign Minister Araghchi said on Friday Iran would welcome any Chinese input, adding that Tehran was trying to give diplomacy a chance but did not trust the US
Iran is prepared to return to fighting as well as for diplomatic solutions, Araghchi said, reiterating that vessels not linked to states attacking his country could traverse the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's army chief, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi Hatami, said the armed forces would continue defending the country "until the last drop of blood".
Before the war, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas as well as fertilizer and other vital supplies passed through the waterway. Attacks on shipping have prevented almost all traffic although a huge Chinese tanker and another linked to Japan crossed the strait on Wednesday.
The UAE said it would speed up building a new pipeline to its Fujairah port just outside the strait, after a vessel heading to it was sunk this week and another was boarded and redirected to Iran.
Lebanon talks aim to extend ceasefire
Thousands of Iranians were killed during the US and Israeli air strikes, and thousands have been killed in renewed fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
With a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon due to expire on Sunday, discussions between Lebanese and Israeli officials were set to continue on Friday after what a senior State Department official said were productive talks on Thursday. Hezbollah opposes the talks, in which Israel is insisting on the group's disarmament.
Also Read: Iran, UAE clash at BRICS meeting over war allegations
Trump has said his aims in starting the war were to destroy Iran's nuclear program, end its ability to attack neighbors and make it easier for Iranians to overthrow their government.
Iran is seeking the lifting of sanctions, reparations for war damage and acknowledgment of its control over the strait.
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