Donald Trump asks China to avoid supplying weapons to Iran

On April 15, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a Fox Business interview that he sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping requesting that China refrain from supplying weapons to Iran. President Xi responded via letter, asserting that China does not provide military equipment to Tehran. This exchange follows a previous threat by President Trump to impose 50% tariffs on any nation that supplies arms to Iran. The correspondence occurred amid ongoing concerns regarding the conflict in the Middle East. President Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing on May 14 and 15, 2026, for a meeting with President Xi that was previously delayed. Furthermore, the U.S. President stated that he does not anticipate global oil market changes due to the war in Iran. He also noted that developments in Venezuela would not affect his upcoming summit with the Chinese leadership.