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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has addressed reports concerning potential Chinese arms shipments to Iran, confirming that Washington has received high-level assurances that such a move will not take place.
Addressing a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth was joined by the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, and Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Central Command. During the session, the US secretary highlighted the diplomatic channels utilised to resolve the matter, pointing specifically to the direct communication between the American and Chinese heads of state. "President Trump has a very strong and direct relationship with (Chinese President Xi Jinping), and they communicated on that. China has assured us that that is not going to happen," Hegseth stated. These official assurances from the Pentagon follow recent intelligence assessments indicating that "China is preparing to deliver new air defence systems to Iran" within the next few weeks, according to a report by CNN citing three people familiar with the matter. The disclosure has sparked fresh scrutiny over Beijing's military cooperation with Tehran amidst heightened regional tensions, prompting a direct intervention from the White House. Addressing these reports, President Donald Trump stated in an interview that aired on Wednesday that he had personally engaged in an exchange of letters with the Chinese President to address the situation. "He responded to a letter that I wrote because I had heard that China is giving weapons to -- I mean, you are seeing it all over the place -- to Iran," Trump said, according to the interview. The President's remarks highlight a direct diplomatic effort to stall the reported transfer of advanced military hardware through personal correspondence. Confirming the outcome of this high-level exchange, the President noted that he had sought a firm commitment from Beijing to halt such shipments. "I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that essentially he is not doing that," Trump added, indicating that the Chinese leadership has offered specific guarantees against the arms delivery. This diplomatic breakthrough serves as a significant backdrop to upcoming high-level talks, as President Trump is currently "planning to visit Beijing to meet with Xi in May" to further discuss the bilateral relationship and regional security concerns. (ANI)
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