Beijing: China on Wednesday stood by its denial that a US-intercepted vessel transported a “gift” from Beijing to Iran, rebutting fresh claims from US President Donald Trump made the previous day.
Trump had asserted that an Iranian-flagged ship taken by US military in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday included “a gift from China”, which “wasn’t very nice.”
His statement came after former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley posted on X claiming the vessel sailed from China to Iran, tied to chemical deliveries for missiles, AFP reported.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, at Tuesday’s standard briefing responding to Haley’s post, labeled the ship “a foreign container ship” and voiced opposition to “any malicious association and speculation.”
Queried on Wednesday on Trump’s words, Guo indicated China had already outlined its view.
“As a responsible major country, China has always set a good example in fulfilling its due international obligation,” he emphasized.
On Tuesday, Trump voiced being “a little surprised”, citing what he saw as an “understanding” with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump had revealed a week earlier that Xi pledged no weapons transfers from China to Iran.
As Tehran’s steadfast ally, Beijing has branded US-Israeli strikes against Iran as illegal, while condemning assaults on Gulf states and advocating to restore access through the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel in question, Touska, was bound for Iran’s Bandar Abbas port, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday.
CENTCOM posted on X that the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fired several five-inch calibre rounds to halt the Iranian ship’s propulsion, after directing it “to evacuate its engine room.”
The confrontation plays out against surging tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for worldwide oil and liquefied natural gas, which has been largely blockaded since the Middle East war started.
Iran provisionally cleared the strait on Friday to mark an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon, but shut it again the next day protesting the US blockade of ships to Iranian ports.