Overview
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on China to step up diplomacy to get Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the May 14–15 Trump–Xi meeting in Beijing.
- Bessent said the United States has “absolute control” of the strait and has launched a Navy effort to guide commercial ships through it to help bring fuel prices down.
- He argued that China buys most of Iran’s energy and is “funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism,” urging Beijing to use that influence on Tehran.
- Bessent noted that China and Russia blocked a UN Security Council draft that condemned Iran’s actions at Hormuz, and China said the text was one‑sided.
- His comments followed new U.S. sanctions on Chinese entities tied to Iranian oil sales, which Beijing rejected as unlawful and outside U.S. jurisdiction.