JUST IN: Trump Says Strait Of Hormuz Is ‘Permanently Open’ After ‘Talks’ With Xi Jinping

President Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is now “permanently open” after what he described as behind-the-scenes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, claiming Beijing agreed to stop sending weapons to Iran.

Trump made the announcement Wednesday on Truth Social as the U.S. maintains a naval blockade aimed at choking off Iranian port traffic and forcing Tehran back into negotiations.

“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again.”

He then claimed Xi had agreed to cut Iran off from arms shipments and teased an unusually warm reception at a planned summit.

“They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,” Trump continued.

“We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!!”

Trump’s declaration comes days after peace talks with Tehran collapsed, prompting the administration to begin a naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, the major oil chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s supply typically moves.

The White House has framed the blockade as leverage, with Trump signaling he wants a deal but is wary of ramping back up a bombing campaign that has already destabilized the region.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump meant the strait was reopening to shipping traffic right away, or whether he was signaling a longer-term endgame while negotiations continue. The Daily Mail reported it contacted the White House for comment.

“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran…” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/g2LbmMJS5a

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 15, 2026

Trump and Xi are expected to meet at a diplomatic summit in Beijing in mid-May, where trade tariffs and U.S. access to rare earth minerals are also expected to be on the agenda. The trip would be Trump’s first major foreign visit since the conflict with Iran erupted, and it would put him face-to-face with the top leader of Tehran’s largest Middle East partner.

China, along with Russia, has aided Iran during the five-week war, including by providing satellite imagery and intelligence that Iranian forces used to target U.S. military sites with ballistic missiles and drones, according to the report.

In the last 24 hours, the U.S. military has blocked six oil tankers from moving through the strait, the report said. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is preparing to send about 6,000 additional troops to the region aboard the USS George HW Bush and other warships.

RELATED: ‘Called This Morning’: Trump Hints At Potential Development In Iran Talks

Beijing has criticized the blockade, with Xi calling it “dangerous and irresponsible” and warning the world must not “revert to the law of the jungle,” according to the report.

Iran has also tried to squeeze shipping traffic, using explosive speedboats, drones and naval mines, and seeking to impose de facto tolls on tankers. Tehran has reportedly allowed favored partners such as China and India to pass more freely while pressuring Western vessels.

The economic blowback has been sharp. Gas prices have climbed, with the national average rising to around $4.10 a gallon as crude prices hover above $100 per barrel, the report said.

RELATED: BREAKING: Trump Announces Blockade Of Hormuz Strait

Trump suggested Wednesday that a broader resolution could be close. In a phone call with ABC News, he said “you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead” as he teased a potential deal.

“They really do have a different regime now. No matter what, we took out the radicals. They’re gone, no longer with us,” Trump said.

“If I weren’t President, the world would be torn to pieces.”

Negotiations broke down over U.S. demands that Iran abandon its nuclear ambitions, including a push for Tehran to halt uranium enrichment for 20 years and turn over its stockpile, according to the report.

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