US held ‘quiet’ Iran talks with China, Russia, says Scott Bessent

Asheville: The United States held quiet discussions with China and Russia about Iran during the G20 finance ministers’ meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said, while cautioning that Beijing made no specific commitment to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Bessent said Washington believed it could build upon the discussions as the Trump administration sought broader international support for its economic campaign against Tehran.

“We’ve had very quiet conversations with Russia and China, and I think we can move that discussion forward,” he told reporters after the two-day meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.

Bessent said the United States and China had overlapping interests despite their wider economic and strategic differences.

“As I said with China on Iran, we have more in common than we have differences,” he said.

“China agrees Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. China agrees that there has to be free maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz,” Bessent added.

The Treasury secretary said China’s reliance on energy supplies from the Gulf gave Beijing a direct interest in restoring unrestricted navigation through the strategic waterway.

“China gets 50 per cent of its energy from the Gulf. So I believe it’s up to China or incumbent upon China to work toward a solution,” he said. “We will see how they follow through.”

Bessent later clarified that the discussions had not resulted in a specific US-China agreement on steps to reopen the strait.

“No, I didn’t say that there was a specific agreement. I said we agreed that the strait must be open,” he said when asked whether Beijing had made any commitments.

The distinction left unanswered whether China would use its diplomatic and economic influence with Iran or participate in measures aimed at restoring maritime traffic.

Bessent said the United States had nevertheless held “very productive, quiet conversations” with Chinese officials during the G20 meeting.

The Treasury secretary also said several US allies had offered support for Washington’s campaign against Iran. He did not identify the countries or announce concrete commitments on secondary sanctions.

“What I can tell you is that many of our allies came forward and said we will do whatever is necessary,” Bessent said.

He said the assistance offered included intelligence, economic intelligence and outreach to entities supporting the Iranian government.

“They have offered to do whatever they could, whether it is intelligence, economic intelligence, and speaking to any entity that supports this treacherous, evil regime,” he said.

Iran and the continued disruption of energy trade also featured in the G20 chair’s statement issued after the meeting. The document said the free, safe and predictable navigation of the Strait of Hormuz was essential to sustaining durable global growth.

China objected to that paragraph as well as sections dealing with global economic imbalances, IMF surveillance and sovereign debt. The other G20 members present supported the statement.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world’s most important energy routes, carrying oil and liquefied natural gas from Gulf producers to major markets, particularly in Asia.

China has maintained close economic relations with Iran and remains an important market for Iranian energy. Russia and Iran have also developed extensive political, economic and security ties, giving both Moscow and Beijing potential influence over Tehran as Washington seeks an end to the confrontation.

IANS