Trump says he is losing patience with Iran after talks with China's Xi U.S. President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out after he discussed the costly and unpopular war with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and a ship was reported seized by Iranian personnel off the United Arab Emirates. The White House said Trump and Xi had agreed during talks in Beijing on the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane open. Iran effectively shut the waterway in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks which began on February 28, causing an unprecedented disruption to global energy supplies. China is close to Iran and the main buyer of its oil. The U.S. paused its attacks on Iran last month but began a blockade of the country's ports. Talks aimed at ending the conflict have stalled with Iran refusing to end its nuclear program or relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium. "I am not going to be much more patient," Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News' "Hannity" program. "They should make a deal." On the key issue of Iran's hidden stockpile of enriched uranium, Trump suggested it only needed to be secured by the U.S. for public relations purposes. "I don't think it's necessary except from a public relations standpoint," Trump said in the interview. "I just feel better if I got it, actually. But it's, I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else." In the latest incidents on the trade route, an Indian cargo vessel carrying livestock from Africa to the UAE was sunk on Wednesday in waters off the coast of Oman. India condemned the attack and said all 14 crew members had been rescued by the Omani coast guard. Vanguard, a British maritime security advisory firm, said the vessel was believed to have been hit by a missile or drone which caused an explosion. Separately, British maritime security agency UKMTO reported on Thursday that "unauthorised personnel" had boarded a ship anchored off the coast of the UAE port of Fujairah, and were steering it towards Iran. Vanguard said a company security officer had reported that "the vessel was taken by Iranian personnel while at anchor." After talks between Trump and Xi on Thursday, the White House said the leaders had agreed that the strait should be open and that Xi made clear China's opposition to the militarisation of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use. Trump said Xi also promised not to send Iran military equipment. "He said he's not going to give military equipment, that's a big statement," Trump said on "Hannity". Xi also expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China's future dependence on the strait and the leaders agreed that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons, the White House readout said. Tehran has denied seeking such weapons. DIPLOMACY ON HOLD Trump is keen to elicit Chinese support to end a war that has become an electoral liability as it drags on towards key U.S. midterm elections in November. But analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Iran hard or end support for its military, given its value as a strategic counterweight to the U.S. In an interview with CNBC from Beijing, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believed China would "do what they can" to help open the strait, something "very much in their interest." Before the war, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the waterway. But diplomacy has been on hold since last week when Iran and the U.S. each rejected the other's most recent proposals. Fujairah is the UAE's sole oil port, on the Gulf of Oman just outside the Strait of Hormuz, and enables some shipments to reach markets without passing through the chokepoint. Iran appears to be making more deals with countries to allow some ships to pass through the strait - if they accept Tehran's terms. A Japanese tanker crossed on Wednesday after Japan's prime minister announced that she had requested help from the Iranian president. A huge Chinese tanker also crossed on Wednesday, and Iran's Fars news agency reported on Thursday that an agreement had been reached to let some Chinese ships pass. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said 30 vessels had passed through the strait since Wednesday evening, still far short of the 140 on a typical day before the war, but a substantial increase if confirmed. According to shipping analytics firm Kpler, some 10 ships had sailed through the strait in the past 24 hours, against five to seven that have crossed daily in recent weeks. IRAN'S THREAT 'SIGNIFICANTLY DEGRADED' Thousands of Iranians were killed in the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in the first weeks of the war, and thousands more have been killed in Lebanon since the war reignited fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. Talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials on Thursday in Washington were productive and positive, according to a senior State Department official, who said they were set to continue on Friday. Trump said his aims in starting the war were to destroy Iran's nuclear program, end its ability to attack neighbours and make it easier for Iranians to overthrow their government. A senior U.S. admiral told a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday Iran's ability to threaten its neighbours and U.S. regional interests had been "significantly degraded". "They no longer threaten regional partners, or the United States, in ways that they were able to do before, across every domain," Admiral Brad Cooper said. But Cooper declined to directly address reports by Reuters and other news organisations that Iran had retained significant missile and drone capabilities. Iran's rulers, who used force to put down anti-government protests at the start of the year, have faced no organised opposition since the war began. And their closure of the strait has given them additional leverage in negotiations. Washington wants Tehran to hand over the uranium and forgo further enrichment. Iran is seeking the lifting of sanctions, reparations for war damage and acknowledgment of its control over the strait. (Reporting by Reuters Newsrooms, Writing by Peter Graff, Timothy Heritage, David Brunnstrom, Costas Pitas and Stephen Coates; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Aidan Lewis, Cynthia Osterman and Kate Mayberry) Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 11:22 PM.
Iranian Official
In response to ongoing U.S.-Israeli aggression and unlawful attacks that began on February 28, Iran has exercised its sovereign right to close the Strait of Hormuz and detain vessels threatening its security, rejecting foreign dictates on its nuclear program and enriched uranium stockpiles. The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports represents blatant economic warfare aimed at undermining national sovereignty, while talks have stalled due to Washington's refusal to halt its hostile interference. President Trump’s threats of diminishing patience only highlight the persistent foreign aggression Iran continues to resist in defense of its independence.
Israeli
Israel faces an existential threat from Iran's nuclear program and expanding proxy network, which has already disrupted the Strait of Hormuz and global energy routes following necessary U.S.-Israeli defensive strikes launched on February 28. Trump's growing impatience with Tehran, expressed after his Beijing talks with Xi, underscores the urgency of securing Iran's enriched uranium stockpile and enforcing a blockade to prevent further aggression. Without decisive action, Iran's refusal to dismantle its capabilities risks empowering its proxies and destabilizing the region against Israel's survival.
Neutral
U.S. President Donald Trump stated in a Thursday interview that his patience with Iran was running out following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The White House said the leaders agreed on the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, amid reports of a vessel seized by Iranian personnel off the United Arab Emirates and a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. Negotiations to end the conflict remain stalled, with Iran continuing to refuse limits on its nuclear program.
Western
President Trump signaled eroding patience with Iran following discussions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, underscoring the need to secure the Strait of Hormuz against Tehran's disruptive closure in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting its nuclear infrastructure. With talks stalled over Iran's refusal to dismantle its enrichment program and relinquish its uranium stockpile, the U.S. has shifted to a precise naval blockade of Iranian ports to neutralize proliferation risks and restore global energy flows. Trump emphasized that any deal must address these core threats, noting the strategic value of securing enriched material beyond mere optics.
Pro-Peace
As the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and stalled nuclear talks prolong a conflict that began with attacks on February 28, civilians in Iran and beyond face mounting humanitarian costs, including energy shortages and economic collapse that threaten lives far from any battlefield. President Trump’s expressions of impatience after speaking with China’s Xi Jinping risk further escalation over the Strait of Hormuz, where disruptions already imperil global supplies and ordinary people. Renewed diplomacy, focused on verified safeguards rather than military pressure, offers the only path to spare additional civilian suffering.
Global South
From a Global South vantage, U.S. President Trump’s warning of dwindling patience with Iran after talks with Xi Jinping reveals renewed Western efforts to police sovereign energy routes like the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure followed U.S.-Israeli strikes that have battered developing economies. Iran’s refusal to surrender its nuclear stockpile or program under blockade conditions asserts its right to resist neo-colonial dictates, while China’s oil purchases signal a multipolar pushback against unilateral sanctions. The impasse further exposes the paralysis of global institutions unable to restrain great-power coercion on non-aligned states.
Trump says he is losing patience with Iran after talks with China's Xi U.S. President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out after he discussed the costly and unpopular war with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and a ship was reported seized by Iranian p…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.
Iranian officials reported strikes on US radar and air defense sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, along with the interception of two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States conducted strikes on Iranian targets following the deaths of three US soldiers, with the Pentagon stating the actions aimed to degrade capabilities affecting shipping.
Houthi forces in Yemen announced plans to blockade Saudi ports, while both US and Iranian leaders issued statements on further escalation.