Trump delays Xi meeting as Iran conflict lets US strong-arm China’s oil supply

Trump delays Xi meeting as Iran conflict lets US strong-arm China’s oil supply

Trump delays Xi meeting as Iran war disrupts oil flows China depends on, raising questions about leverage in U.S.-China negotiations.

China remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil, and shipments are still moving despite the conflict. (Farzad Frames/Getty Images)

Officials have not cited China as a rationale for the operation, but the overlap in resources and priorities has fueled debate in Washington over how to balance immediate threats in the Middle East with longer-term competition with Beijing. (Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

China’s dependence on Iranian oil remains a central vulnerability, even as the conflict disrupts shipping lanes and raises risks in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly half of China’s seaborne oil imports pass. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)