Chinese Leader Tells Trump: China Is Not Arming Iran
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt delivered the confirmation alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, telling reporters: "President Xi assured the president that they are not supplying Iran with weapons throughout this conflict, and that assurance was made to the president."
Bessent shifted focus to China's outsized role in bankrolling Iranian oil revenues, underscoring the economic leverage Washington holds over Tehran. "China was purchasing more than 90% of their oil, which is about 8% of China's energy needs," he said, noting that a blockade near the Strait of Hormuz could temporarily freeze Chinese purchases of Iranian crude.
The Treasury Secretary also revealed that two Chinese financial institutions had been placed on notice over potential exposure to Iranian funds — without disclosing the banks by name.
"I will tell you that two Chinese banks received letters from the US Treasury. I'm not going to identify the banks, but we told them that if we can prove that there is Iranian money flowing through your accounts, then we are willing to put on secondary sanctions," Bessent said.
The warnings signal that Washington is prepared to widen its financial pressure campaign beyond Tehran, putting foreign institutions on alert that facilitating Iranian transactions could carry severe economic consequences.
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