Trump asks Xi to halt all aid to Iran, US envoy says

September 26, 2026 at 07:25 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

U.S. President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to stop all aid to Iran during a meeting in Washington, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said on September 25. The request came as Washington worries that Chinese support is undermining its efforts to isolate Iran. Perdue said Beijing has halted some assistance and is listening.

Key Facts

U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said on September 25 that President Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping to stop all aid to Iran.
Perdue told CNBC that Washington made clear weeks ago that any aid to Iran—direct, indirect, intelligence, spare parts, or military equipment—is unacceptable.
U.S. officials say Iran has used high-resolution imagery from Chinese commercial satellites to target American bases and warships in the Middle East.
The Trump-Xi meeting took place one day after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Chinese state media reported that Xi called on Trump to return to the June memorandum of understanding and reach a nuclear deal to ease tensions with Iran.

The Request

U.S. President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to halt all assistance to Iran during a meeting in Washington, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said on September 25. Perdue told CNBC that Washington had made clear weeks earlier that any aid to Iran—whether direct, indirect, intelligence, spare parts, or military equipment—was absolutely unacceptable. He said Trump reiterated that position firmly the day before the announcement. Perdue added that Beijing has listened and stopped some things, and that the U.S. is confident Chinese leaders pay attention when Trump speaks about Iran.

Chinese Support and U.S. Concerns

Since the war began on February 28, Washington has been concerned that China is supplying Iran with air defense systems and drone components. U.S. officials say that in recent weeks Iran has used high-resolution imagery from Chinese commercial satellites to target American bases in the Middle East and aircraft carriers and warships in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. This has forced the U.S. military to change its operational procedures to make it harder for Iran to locate and target its ships. Washington has told Beijing that the Iran issue is separate from Taiwan and has no connection to it, Perdue said.

Diplomatic Context

The Trump-Xi meeting took place one day after U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Qatari officials also participated in those talks, relaying messages between the two sides, according to sources. Araghchi reportedly told Witkoff and Kushner Iran's conditions for opening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear negotiations. Chinese state media reported that Xi called on Trump to return to the June memorandum of understanding and reach a nuclear deal to ease tensions with Iran.