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The president Donald Trump warned this Saturday that China will face significant problems if it goes ahead with sending weapons to Iran, in statements to reporters outside the White House.
The warning came a day after the network CNN revealed, citing U.S. intelligence sources, that Beijing is preparing to deliver portable air defense missile systems to Iran in the coming weeks, attempting to conceal the origin of the shipments through third-party countries.
"If China does that, China will have big problems," Trump said emphatically.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington rejected the accusations, stating that "China has never provided weapons to any party in the conflict" and labeling the information as "false."
Trump's warning is not the first in this regard.
Last Tuesday, he posted on Truth Social that "any country that supplies military weapons to Iran will be immediately taxed on all and every goods sold to the United States, at a 50%, effective immediately," with no exclusions or exemptions, directly targeting Russia and China.
Both powers blocked a resolution in the Security Council of the UN aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz on that same day.
The conflict between the United States and Iran erupted on February 28, 2026 with Operation Epic Fury, a joint military campaign with Israel that destroyed 90% of Iran's missile arsenal and eliminated 49 high-ranking officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz on March 4 with mines, drones, and missiles, causing naval traffic to collapse by 97% and driving the price of Brent crude from 67 to over 126 dollars per barrel.
Last Tuesday, Pakistan mediated a fragile 14-day ceasefire conditioned on the reopening of the strait and formal negotiations in Islamabad, but Iran closed it again the next day following Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump described the negotiations with Iran this Saturday as "very deep," although he stated that "it doesn't matter" if an agreement is reached: We win either way".
The president also mentioned mine-sweeping activities in the Strait of Hormuz due to the possibility of Iranian mines, and did not rule out military action if Iran fails to comply with the ceasefire terms, revealing that his warships are being stocked with "the best ammunition."
The diplomatic complexity is heightened by Trump's planned visit to China in early May to meet with President Xi Jinping, turning his public warnings into a signal of maximum pressure in the run-up to that meeting.
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