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House Democrat on Xi helping in strait: ‘Why would he?’

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by Sarah Davis - 05/15/26 10:43 AM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 05/15/26 10:43 AM ET

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Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton (Ariz.) cast doubt on the suggestion that China would place pressure on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

When asked by NewsNation, The Hill’s broadcast partner, on Thursday about whether he believes Xi would help to reopen the critical oil trading waterway, Stanton said he did not.

“Why would he?” he said. “Right now, our country sadly is losing support around the globe. The president has issued tariffs on all of our allies, and we have so few allies to support us in this war.”

The Arizona Democrat serves on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party.

China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, and it has taken a hit during President Trump’s naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Around a fifth of the world’s oil consumption flows through the crucial waterway daily.

The president told reporters on Air Force One on Friday that the country has “done no business” in the last 2 1/2 weeks, “which is approximately $500 million a day.” Prior to the blockade, the trade corridor was effectively closed due to Iranian counterstrikes on the Gulf states.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a White House briefing early last week that he hoped China could coax Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi into releasing Tehran’s control over the strait.

“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told, and that is that what you are doing in the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You’re the bad guy in this,” Rubio said ahead of Araghchi’s May 6 trip to China.

When asked on Friday if Xi committed to placing pressure on Iran to reopen the strait, Trump said that he is “not asking for any favors.”

“We don’t need favors,” he said. “We’ve wiped out their armed forces essentially. We may have to do a little cleanup work because we had a little monthlong ceasefire.”

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