US President Donald Trump said Iran is “finished” and must either negotiate a deal to end the ongoing conflict or face destruction, following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China.
“Deal or annihilation for Iran,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on the final day of his three-day trip, reiterating that the US cannot “let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
“They're finished now; they can make a deal, or they will be annihilated,” he said after extensive discussions with Xi on a range of issues, including Iran.
Trump was scheduled to hold one final meeting with Xi on Friday, followed by lunch, before concluding his China visit and returning to the US.
During the interview, Trump said, “President Xi would like to see a deal between the US and Iran.”
He added that Xi had offered support, saying, “If I could be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.”
Trump also said he believes China does not want Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Referring to Iran’s military capabilities, Trump said Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine told him the US could neutralise Iran’s Kharg Island in “four or five minutes.”
Asked about China’s ties with Tehran, Trump said the issue came up in his talks with Xi, who assured him China “is not going to give military equipment” to Iran.
China buys nearly 90 per cent of Iran’s oil and maintains close strategic and military ties with Tehran.
Trump described Xi as a “warm person” who is “all business.” “I like that. that's a good thing. No games,” he said.
Trump said he respects the Chinese leader for governing a country of nearly 1.5 billion people. He also praised the military honour guard ceremony organised during his visit, calling it “incredible.”
“If you went to Hollywood, you wouldn't find that,” he said.
Trump said his approach to China has yielded strong results, adding, “We do great with China,” and highlighting his personal rapport with Xi.
“He's a tremendous leader. He's been here a long time, very powerful, very strong. There's no doubt about it. We just have a good relationship,” he said.
Trump also defended the ongoing military operations against Iran, saying they would be far shorter than previous US conflicts in Vietnam and Iraq.
He claimed Iran’s navy had been destroyed and that the country currently lacked effective air force and anti-aircraft capabilities.
“They built it up a little bit. We'll take it out in one day,” he said.
Trump, who was accompanied by leading US business executives including Tesla chief Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, said the corporate delegation had performed “fantastically well.”
Calling the executives’ meeting a “good idea,” Trump said he had encouraged Xi to increase Chinese purchases of US oil.
According to Trump, Xi responded that he “likes the idea.”
“They're going to go to Texas. We're going to start sending Chinese ships to Texas, to Louisiana and to Alaska. And I think that was another thing that was agreed to. That's a big thing,” Trump said.
He also said he hopes China will open its markets further to American companies.
“It would be unbelievable for our companies if they open it, and I think it would be good for China too,” he said.
Trump added that Xi had agreed to order 200 Boeing aircraft during what he described as a “very good meeting.”
“Big ones. That's a lot,” he said.
He further claimed that China would increase purchases of American agricultural products and that he had urged Beijing to adopt Visa for trade transactions.
(With inputs from PTI)