President Donald Trump says he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have been in productive talks over the Iran war — and that China has agreed to stop sending weapons to Tehran in exchange for Trump permanently reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump revealed the back-channel diplomacy Wednesday during an interview on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria,” then followed up with a Truth Social post spelling out the deal in characteristically blunt terms.
Xi was ready to give Trump a “big, fat, hug” as thanks for keeping the Strait open.
“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote. “I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting???”
“BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!! President DJT”
Take a look –
President Trump: "President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks." 😂 pic.twitter.com/cVB2KcX7HS
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) April 15, 2026
In the Fox Business interview, Trump described an exchange of letters with Xi after receiving intelligence reports that Beijing may have been supplying weapons to Iran.
“He just wrote me a beautiful letter,” Trump said. “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 acknowledged the Hormuz blockade had created friction with Beijing, since China is Iran’s largest oil customer and depends heavily on the strait to keep its energy supply flowing.
But he said he did not expect the issue to derail his upcoming meeting with Xi, planned for mid-May.
“I don’t think it does. I mean, he’s somebody that needs oil. We don’t,” Trump said.
The planned China meeting was originally scheduled for late March but was postponed after the Iran war broke out.
Xi broke his public silence on the war Tuesday, telling Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that “the international order is crumbling into disarray.”
The White House confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains “fully in effect and working.” Earlier this week, U.S. CENTCOM announced it had turned around six merchant vessels and completely halted trade from Iranian ports.