Trump asks China to delay Beijing visit as Vance defends Iran policy

Donald Trump said he had asked China to delay his planned visit to Beijing while the war with Iran continues, telling reporters he wanted to remain in Washington. Appearing with Vice-President JD Vance for the first time in two weeks, Trump said he did not expect the conflict — which began on 28 February after the US and Israel opened hostilities — to be over this week but predicted victory would come soon.

“We’re speaking to China. I’d love to [go], but because of the war, I want to be here,” he said, adding that “we’ve requested that we delay it a month or so.” Trump repeated that the campaign against Iran’s theocratic regime, which he has called an “excursion”, is close to success and highlighted damage to Iranian military capacity, political leadership and infrastructure.

He urged western allies and China to help reopen the strait of Hormuz, saying Tehran was effectively blocking the chokepoint and that the disruption had pushed oil prices higher.

China, Beijing

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