U.S. President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping in a letter not to give Iran weapons, and Mr. Xi responded that China was not supplying Tehran, the U.S. President told Fox Business Network in an interview that aired on Wednesday (April 15, 2026).
Mr. Trump, in the interview taped on Tuesday (April 14), did not say when the letters were exchanged. Last week, he threatened countries with an immediate 50% tariff if they supplied Iran with weapons.
China denies reports of support to Iran's military during war with U.S.
“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,” Mr. Trump told FBN’s “Mornings with Maria” program.
He also said he did not expect shifts in the global oil market over the war on Iran and changes in Venezuela to impact the dynamics of his planned meeting with Xi next month. “He’s somebody that needs oil. We don’t,” Trump said.
