US Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen says President Donald Trump should press Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit this week over China’s support for Iran, saying that Chinese firms are helping Tehran economically and militarily, according to Reuters.
In a Senate speech, Shaheen cited reports that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before launching a missile attack that killed three American soldiers and wounded four others.
She notes that about 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports go to China and provided it with “billions of dollars of revenue” and a “critical economic lifeline.”
Shaheen says Chinese and Hong Kong companies had also supplied components used in Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
She urges Trump to “use his leverage” with Xi to stop Chinese firms from providing satellite imagery, missile and drone parts and access to markets for sanctioned Iranian oil.
“If we want to bring this war to an end, we need to cut off the outside support that allows Iran to keep fighting, and that starts with China,” she says.
Shaheen says the administration should enforce sanctions against Chinese entities helping Iran, “and if China doesn’t stop, Congress should impose additional consequences”.
