China holds secret talks with Iran

China reportedly has been quietly pressing Iran as Trump discloses assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

By World Israel News Staff

China has been quietly pressing Iran to stay engaged with diplomacy even as President Donald Trump says he received assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping on a key US concern, according to an Israel Hayom report published Wednesday.

The report said three regional diplomatic sources described Beijing as working behind the scenes in contacts involving Tehran, while Trump pointed to Chinese assurances that Beijing was not supplying Iran with weapons.

The sources said China was involved in “secret talks” with Iran and was warning Tehran not to harden its position to the point of closing off diplomacy. The report did not indicate that China had become a formal mediator but suggested Beijing is using its leverage with Iran at a sensitive moment in the standoff with Washington.

Trump has publicly described one of the assurances he says he received from Xi.

In an interview aired last week, Trump said he had asked the Chinese leader not to provide Iran with weapons and that Xi replied that China was not doing so.

“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 Business.

Reuters has separately reported that China has stepped up diplomacy around the Iran crisis while trying to keep open the path to a planned Trump-Xi summit.

The news agency said Beijing had intensified outreach through Foreign Minister Wang Yi and special envoy Zhai Jun, while avoiding direct confrontation with Trump over the conflict.

Analysts cited by Reuters said China’s approach reflects both its economic stake in Middle East stability and its interest in preserving room for better ties with Washington.

China has also said publicly that it wants the current ceasefire and peace efforts preserved.

In a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Wang said China “supports maintaining the momentum of ceasefire and peace talks,” according to a Chinese government summary. Beijing has repeatedly urged the parties to play a “constructive role in de-escalating the situation,” according to Chinese Foreign Ministry statements.