US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened China with “staggering” new tariffs if it provides military support to Iran.
“If we find out that they are doing it, they will have a 50% tariff, which is astonishing, an astonishing number,” Trump told Fox News.
LOOK: Trump orders US Navy to block Strait of Hormuz “effective immediately”
The US president will travel to Beijing next month to meet with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, after having postponed a previous summit due to the war against Iran.
Trump ordered a US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday In response to the “inflexible” refusal of Iran to stop its nuclear plan at peace talks in Islamabad.
Although he acknowledged that “an agreement had been reached on most points,” the US president affirmed that Tehran had been firm on this point.
Also that it had failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key condition for the two-week ceasefire.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the best in the world, will begin the process of BLOCKING any and all ships attempting to enter or exit the Strait of Hormuz.”Trump said on Truth Social.
Tehran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in response to the attacks by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
“Any Iranian who shoots at us will be SENT TO HELL,” he added.
Trump hinted that “other countries” will participate in the blockade of the strait, without giving more details.
US Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan without a deal in negotiations with a team led by Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohamad Baquer Qalifab, the highest-level meeting between the two sides since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“We are leaving with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our best final offer. We will see if Iran accepts it,” said.
The meeting was intended to consolidate the fragile two-week ceasefire agreement announced by Washington and Tehran.
Trump questioned Iran for saying that they were going to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil production passed before the conflict in the Middle East, “knowing” that they were not going to keep their promise.
“They say they put mines in the water, even though their entire Navy, and most of their ‘mine throwers,’ have been completely blown up. They may have done it, but what shipowner would want to take that risk?”Trump said.
“As they promised, they better get to work so that this international waterway opens as soon as possible!” he added.
