The head of the White House cited the US military operation in Iran and retaliatory strikes in the Middle East as the reason.
“We are working on this now, talking with China. I would love to go, but because of the war I have to be here… We asked to postpone [визит] by about a month… We'll move the deadline up a little bit, just a little bit,” Trump said.
On March 16, in an interview with The Financial Times, the US President admitted that he might postpone the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for the end of March, seeking Beijing’s assistance in unblocking the strategically important waterway.
He called it “quite logical that those who use the strait should help ensure security there.” Europe and China are much more dependent on Middle Eastern oil than the United States, the American president believes.
Context
Due to the war between the United States and Israel with Iran, since March 1, almost Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has stopped is one of the most important routes for the world oil trade, through which millions of barrels of crude oil and petroleum products pass every day from the Middle East to Asia, Europe and the United States. Against this background oil prices began to rise sharply.
Later, information appeared in the media that Iran allegedly began mining the strait. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the US Navy will escort tankers from companies that cooperate with the Americans through the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN, citing sources familiar with the planning of the operation, reported that the Trump administration did not expect Iran to be ready to close the strait.
