Trump and Xi discuss Iran in wide-ranging call as US presses China and
others to break from Tehran
[February 05, 2026]
By AAMER MADHANI and DIDI TANG
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and
Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the situation in Iran in a
wide-ranging call as the U.S. administration pushes Beijing and others
to further isolate Tehran.
Trump said the two leaders also discussed a broad range of other
critical issues in the U.S.-China relationship, including trade and
Taiwan and his plans to visit Beijing in April.
“The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with
President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realize how
important it is to keep it that way,” Trump said in a social media
posting about the call.
The Chinese government, in a readout of the call, said the two leaders
discussed major summits that both nations will host in the coming year
that could present opportunities for them to meet. The Chinese
statement, however, made no mention of Trump’s expected April visit to
Beijing.
Trump and Xi discussed Iran as tensions remain high between Washington
and Tehran over Iran's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last
month. The U.S. president says he's weighing taking military action
against the Middle Eastern country.
Trump is also pressing Iran to make concessions over its nuclear
program, which his Republican administration says was already set back
by the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war
Israel launched against Iran in June.
U.S. and Iranians officials said Wednesday they have agreed to hold
high-level talks on Friday i n Oman. The talks had initially been slated
for Turkey but were shifted to the Gulf country at Iran's insistence. A
White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and
spoke on condition of anonymity, said the administration remains “very
skeptical” that the talks will be successful but agreed to go along with
the change in plans out of respect for allies in the region.
Trump announced last month that the U.S. would impose a 25% tax on
imports to the United States from countries that do business with Iran.
China is Iran's biggest trading partner.
Years of sanctions aimed at stopping Iran’s nuclear program have left
the country isolated. But Tehran still did nearly $125 billion in
international trade in 2024, including $32 billion with China, $28
billion with the United Arab Emirates and $17 billion with Turkey, the
World Trade Organization says.
China also made clear that it has no intention of stepping away from its
long-term plans of reunification with Taiwan, a self-governing,
democratic island operating independently from mainland China, though
Beijing claims it as its own territory.
The Trump administration in December announced a massive package of arms
sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes
medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones. The move continues to draw
an angry response from Beijing.
“Taiwan will never be allowed to separate from China,” the Chinese
government statement said. “The U.S. must handle the issue of arms sales
to Taiwan with prudence.”
Neither Trump nor the Chinese government in its statement raised whether
the U.S. leader's repeated calls for a U.S. takeover of Greenland, the
Arctic territory controlled by Denmark, came up during the conversation.
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President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose
ahead of their summit talk at Gimhae International Airport in Busan,
South Korea, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File
Trump has made his case for the U.S. taking over the strategic
island as necessary to rebuff Chinese and Russian encroachment, even
as experts have repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s claims of Chinese and
Russian military forces lurking off Greenland’s coastline. Denmark
and Greenland as well as several European government leaders have
pushed back against Trump's takeover calls.
Separately, Xi also spoke on Wednesday with Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Xi’s engagement with Trump and Putin comes as the last remaining
nuclear arms pact, known as the New START treaty, between Russia and
the United States is set to expire Thursday, removing any caps on
the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a
half-century.
Trump has indicated he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons
but wants to involve China in a potential new treaty.
“I actually feel strongly that if we’re going to do it, I think
China should be a member of the extension,” Trump told The New York
Times last month. “China should be a part of the agreement.”
The call with Xi also coincided with a ministerial meeting that the
Trump administration convened in Washington with several dozen
European, Asian and African nations to discuss how to rebuild global
supply chains of critical minerals without Beijing.
Critical minerals are needed for everything from jet engines to
smartphones. China dominates the market for those ingredients
crucial to high-tech products.
“What is before all of us is an opportunity at self-reliance that we
never have to rely on anybody else except for each other, for the
critical minerals necessary to sustain our industries and to sustain
growth," Vice President JD Vance said at the gathering.
Xi has recently held a series of meetings with Western leaders who
have sought to boost ties with China amid growing concerns about
Trump's tariff policies and calls for the U.S. to take over
Greenland, a Danish territory.
The disruption to global trade under Trump has made expanding trade
and investment more imperative for many U.S. economic partners.
Vietnam and the European Union upgraded ties to a comprehensive
strategic partnership last month, two days after the EU and India
announced a free-trade agreement. And Canada struck a deal last
month to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for
lower tariffs on Canadian farm products.
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