WASHINGTON, MAY 17: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump spoke on Sunday about the president’s visit to China.
The pair also discussed developments with Iran.
Netanyahu said earlier that he would speak to Trump on Sunday evening.
“Our eyes are also wide open regarding Iran. I will speak today, as I do every few days, with our friend President Trump,” he said in a statement.
“I will certainly hear his impressions from his trip to China, and perhaps other matters. There are certainly many possibilities; we are prepared for any scenario.”
Trump claims Xi supports opening strait after China slams US’s war with Iran
Trump returned to the US on Saturday after his state visit to China, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a series of tariff, agricultural, and aircraft deals.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry described the deals as “preliminary” and said that the two sides had agreed to establish an investment board and a trade board to negotiate reciprocal, product-specific tariff reductions, as well as broader cuts on unspecified goods, including agricultural products.
Notably, during his visit, Trump said that Xi agreed that Iran needs to open the Strait of Hormuz, and that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
However, China’s foreign ministry expressed frustration with the Iran war, calling it a conflict “which should never have happened, has no reason to continue.”
Trump also said he was considering lifting US sanctions on Chinese oil companies buying Iranian oil. China is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil.
“I’m not asking for any favors because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return,” Trump said when asked by a reporter on Air Force One whether Xi had made a firm commitment to put pressure on the Iranians to reopen the vital strait.
Iran would welcome Chinese input, Araqchi said on Friday, adding that Tehran was trying to give diplomacy a chance but did not trust the US, which has curtailed previous rounds of talks by launching air strikes.
