MSI previously reported that the U.S. and Iran agreed to hold indirect nuclear talks in Oman, after the planned location shifted from Turkey as reported.
Trump said Wednesday that he spoke with Xi about Iran, and he described the call as wide-ranging at a moment when the Trump administration is pressing Beijing and other countries to help isolate Tehran. Trump said the discussion also touched broader issues in the U.S.-China relationship, including trade and Taiwan, and included conversation about his plans to visit Beijing in April.
In a social media posting about the call, Trump said, “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.” The Chinese government’s readout said the two leaders discussed major summits that both countries will host in the coming year, but it did not mention Trump’s expected April visit to Beijing.
The Iran portion of the conversation unfolded amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions, including conflict with Tehran over what the AP described as Iran’s “bloody crackdown on nationwide protests” last month. Trump said he is weighing taking military action against Iran, and he also pressed Iran to make concessions over its nuclear program, according to the AP report.
The AP report said U.S. and Iranian officials agreed to hold high-level talks Friday in Oman. It said the talks had initially been slated for Turkey but were shifted to the Gulf country at Iran’s insistence, and that a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity said the administration remained “very skeptical” that the talks would be successful but agreed to go along with the change in plans out of respect for regional allies.
The call’s broader agenda also reflected continuing friction over Taiwan. The Chinese government statement said, “Taiwan will never be allowed to separate from China,” and it said the U.S. must handle arms sales to Taiwan with prudence. The AP report said the U.S. announced in December a package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion, including medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, which drew an angry response from Beijing.
Separately, the AP report said Xi also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. The call came with the New START nuclear arms pact between Russia and the United States set to expire Thursday, removing 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, while he has also said China should be involved in any potential extension.
The AP report also linked the U.S.-China call with a U.S.-hosted ministerial meeting in Washington aimed at rebuilding global supply chains of critical minerals without Beijing. Vice President JD Vance said at the gathering, “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.” The AP report said China dominates parts of the market for ingredients crucial to high-tech products.
In the trade and diplomacy backdrop, the AP report said China has made clear it has no intention of stepping away from its long-term reunification plans for Taiwan, which it treats as part of China even as Taiwan operates with its own democratic government. The AP report also cited trade figures from the World Trade Organization that said Iran did nearly $125 billion in international trade in 2024, including $32 billion with China.
The AP report said Trump also faced questions about whether the Greenland issue came up during the China call, noting neither Trump nor the Chinese government statement raised the matter. Trump has repeatedly urged a U.S. takeover of Greenland, and Denmark and Greenland and several European government leaders have pushed back against those calls, the AP report said.