The 13th of May 2026, Epoch Times – Before departing for China on Tuesday, President Trump stated that he would have a lengthy discussion with the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, regarding the issue of the Iran war, but he did not believe that Xi needed to provide any assistance on the Iran issue.
President Trump engaged in a brief interaction with the media on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday regarding his upcoming visit to China. When asked if he thought Xi Jinping needed to intervene in the Iran issue, Trump replied, “I don’t think he needs to ‘intervene’. No, I don’t think we need any help to solve the Iran issue. We will win in any way.”
“Whether through peace or other means, we will win this war,” the President said. “Their (Iran’s) navy is gone, their air force is gone, every component of their entire war machine is gone. They have killed a lot of people, at least 42,000 people in the past month and a half.”
“To be honest, I don’t think we need any help on the Iran issue,” Trump reiterated, “They have been defeated militarily. They either do the right thing, or we will solve them completely.”
“We’ll see what happens. We’ll only reach a good agreement… This will be very beneficial to the American people – and I think, in fact, it will also be beneficial to the people of Iran,” Trump said.
The President once again clarified the United States’ red line, which is that Iran cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. He emphasized that the U.S. military blockade against Iran is very effective, 100% effective.
“Regardless, the outcome will be very good,” he said.
“Iran cannot have nuclear weapons,” he said. “They will not have nuclear weapons. They know that.”
Iran has been hoping for assistance from China during President Trump’s visit to China. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had already visited Beijing before Trump’s visit.
Iran’s Ambassador to China, Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli, stated on Tuesday that Iran’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party provides Iran with “strategic diplomatic depth”. He also added that Beijing can help “echo” Iran’s position on the war issue during the upcoming “ChinTrum Summit” in Beijing.
Although the “ChinTrum Summit” will discuss the Iran issue, Trump stated that he and Xi Jinping would prioritize discussing trade issues.
“We will discuss many things with Chairman Xi Jinping. I believe the most important thing is trade issues,” he said.
The White House released a partial list of those accompanying Trump on his trip to China aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, including Trump’s son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, among others.