Trump and Xi agree Strait of Hormuz "must remain open"

President Trump and China's Xi Jinping met Thursday and agreed that the Strait of Hormuz "must stay open" and that Iran "can ne'er person a atomic weapon," according to the White House.

The Iran warfare had been slated to beryllium 1 of the main topics of the highly-anticipated acme betwixt Xi and Mr. Trump – Iran expressed publically a tendency for China to reiterate its presumption for a imaginable bid woody with the U.S.

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping airs for photos during a sojourn to the Temple of Heaven connected May 14, 2026 successful Beijing, China. Alex Wong/Getty Images

"The 2 sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz indispensable stay unfastened to enactment the escaped travel of energy," work a White House readout of Thursday's meeting.

"President Xi besides made wide China's absorption to the militarization of the Strait and immoderate effort to complaint a toll for its use, and helium expressed involvement successful purchasing much American lipid to trim China's dependence connected the Strait successful the future. Both countries agreed that Iran tin ne'er person a atomic weapon."

Prior to the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said connected Fox News that "we've made wide to them that immoderate enactment for Iran would evidently beryllium detrimental for our relationship." He argued that China has an involvement successful resolving the Iran conflict's impacts connected lipid shipments, and "we anticipation to person them to play a much progressive role."

The readout made nary notation of Taiwan, though Chinese media are reporting that Xi raised the topic.

The unit of an Indian-flagged vas was the taxable of an "unacceptable" onslaught disconnected the seashore of Oman Wednesday are harmless acknowledgment to a rescue from Omani authorities, according to the Indian overseas minister.

In a connection sent retired Thursday, the country's Ministry of External Affairs wrote that the onslaught is "unacceptable and we deplore the information that commercialized shipping and civilian mariners proceed to beryllium targeted."

They did not accidental who was down the attack.

"All Indian unit connected committee are harmless and we convey the Omani authorities for rescuing," the bulletin added.

A Hezbollah drone onslaught wounded respective Israeli civilians connected Thursday, the Israeli subject said, hours earlier U.S.-brokered talks betwixt Israel and Lebanon's authorities were acceptable to statesman successful Washington.

"A abbreviated portion ago, an explosive drone that was launched by the Hezbollah violent enactment fell wrong Israeli territory, adjacent the Israel-Lebanon border," the subject said.

"As a result, respective Israeli civilians were injured and evacuated to person aesculapian attraction astatine the hospital." 

Israel's subject said it launched strikes against Hezbollah targets crossed confederate Lebanon connected Thursday, hours earlier U.S.-brokered talks betwixt Israel and Lebanon's authorities were acceptable to statesman successful Washington. Hezbollah is simply a large Iran-backed paramilitary group.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has begun striking Hezbollah panic infrastructure sites successful respective areas successful confederate Lebanon," the subject said aft issuing evacuation warnings for a fig of villages successful the area.

CBS/AFP

A vessel has been "taken" by chartless parties disconnected the UAE seashore adjacent the Strait of Hormuz and is headed toward Iranian waters, a U.K. maritime bureau said Thursday.

The vas was "taken by unauthorized unit whilst astatine anchor" 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah and "is present bound for Iranian territorial waters," according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.

Several ships person been attacked successful oregon adjacent the cardinal waterway arsenic Iran and the United States propulsion connected with rival blockades.

Iran has mostly blocked shipping done the strait -- which usually carries one-fifth of the world's lipid and LNG shipments -- since the outbreak of warfare with the United States and Israel connected February 28.

The U.S. has imposed its ain naval blockade connected Iranian ports contempt a fragile ceasefire successful spot since April 8.

On Sunday, South Korea said a cargo vessel had been struck by unidentified craft successful Hormuz, portion Qatar said a freighter arriving successful the country's waters from Abu Dhabi was deed by a drone. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Wednesday that helium softly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-U.S. warfare with Iran. But the UAE aboriginal denied immoderate concealed sojourn had occurred.

Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan successful a gathering that "resulted successful a historical breakthrough successful relations betwixt Israel and the United Arab Emirates," according to the Israeli statement. The Gulf federation normalized relations with Israel successful 2020.

The UAE's authoritative WAM quality bureau aboriginal posted an nonfiction denying "reports circulating" astir a Netanyahu visit. According to WAM, the country's relations with Israel "are nationalist and conducted wrong the model of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based connected non-transparent oregon unofficial arrangements."

The Emirati study besides denied immoderate Israeli subject delegation was received successful the UAE.

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met successful Beijing connected Thursday morning section time, arsenic the 2 countries purpose to stabilize their trading narration and grapple with uncertainty implicit the United States' warfare with Iran.

Some experts reason the U.S.'s absorption connected the Middle East — including the munitions it has utilized successful Iran — could marque it much hard to hole for a imaginable confrontation with China. 

At the aforesaid time, China imports ample amounts of lipid from the Middle East and is the world's largest purchaser of Iranian oil, meaning China is some delicate to the war's dire impacts connected the planetary lipid commercialized and cardinal to supporting Iran's economy.

Prior to the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said connected Fox News that helium expects Iran to travel up successful talks with Chinese officials, and that "we've made wide to them that immoderate enactment for Iran would evidently beryllium detrimental for our relationship." He argued that China has an involvement successful resolving the Iran conflict's impacts connected lipid shipments, and "we anticipation to person them to play a much progressive role."

Read much here.

On the mode to the acme betwixt President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News it is successful China's involvement to assistance resoluteness the warfare with Iran.

"We anticipation to person them to play a much progressive relation successful getting Iran to locomotion distant from what they're doing present and trying to bash present successful the Persian Gulf," Rubio said aboard Air Force One.

Rubio argued that China's system is driven by its exports, saying radical volition beryllium buying less Chinese products "because of this situation successful the Strait."

Mr. Trump told reporters successful the Oval Office past week that helium and Xi volition "be talking about" Iran, but said Xi has "been precise bully astir this," considering however overmuch of China's lipid proviso comes done the Strait of Hormuz.

China is the world's largest purchaser of lipid that comes done the strait, though it keeps its ain reserves.

Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.

Lebanon and Israel are acceptable to clasp caller bid talks successful Washington starting Thursday, arsenic their latest ceasefire — considered to inactive beryllium successful spot contempt hundreds of deaths successful Israeli strikes — nears its end.

The 2 countries past met connected April 23 astatine the White House, wherever President Trump announced a three-week ceasefire extension and voiced optimism for a historical agreement.

Mr. Trump astatine the clip made the bold prediction that wrong the latest ceasefire period, helium would invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to Washington for a historical archetypal acme betwixt the countries.

The acme did not happen, with Aoun saying a information woody needed to beryllium successful spot and Israeli attacks needed to extremity earlier specified a landmark symbolic meeting.

Citing Lebanese sources, Qatari al-Araby Aljadeed reported that Lebanon's delegation was instructed by Mr. Aoun to prioritize securing a afloat ceasefire and stopping Israeli demolition operations earlier discussing different issues. Lebanon besides wants Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese areas, captive releases, the instrumentality of displaced residents, and stronger Lebanese service deployment on the border.

The ceasefire had been extended done Sunday. Since it archetypal went into effect connected April 17, Israeli strikes person killed much than 400 people, according to an AFP tally based connected figures from Lebanese authorities.

CBS/AFP

Since a blockade of Iranian ports began, the U.S. subject has allowed 15 merchant vessels "supporting humanitarian aid" to walk through, U.S. Central Command said successful a social media post Wednesday.

They see some merchant ships allowed to dock successful Iranian ports, arsenic good arsenic ships that were allowed to sail retired of Iranian ports and into unfastened waters, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the command.

The societal media station noted that since the blockade began connected April 13, U.S. forces person redirected 67 commercialized vessels and disabled 4 much "to guarantee compliance" with the restrictions.