Following his earlier public acknowledgment of gratitude to China and Russia for their assistance in reaching an agreement between the United States and Iran, U.S. President Trump once again thanked China and Russia at the G7 summit press conference on June 17 local time. He mentioned that China and Russia remained "completely neutral" during the war in Iran, "which greatly improved the situation."
I just want to thank them because they helped improve the situation a lot." Trump said after the ceasefire agreement was reached.
Trump stated that he is grateful that China and Russia did not get involved in the conflict. He said, “China maintained neutrality, complete neutrality, and I express my gratitude for this.” He also mentioned his thanks to Russia, which was equally neutral. “They could have made our situation much more difficult.”
He also claimed that China could have “sended an oil tanker, with six destroyers on each side for escorting,” but did not do so. The Chinese side “helped me.” “I think they probably also helped to resolve the issue.”
On June 17th, local time, Trump held a press conference for the G7 summit. Video screenshot
In the process of promoting reconciliation and mediation, China has always emphasized efforts to persuade parties to reconcile and facilitate negotiations, as well as promoting the cessation of fighting. A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the United States responded to foreign media on the 17th regarding Trump's latest statements, saying that China's position is "consistent," and has been making unremitting efforts to end wars and achieve peace.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian previously stated that since the outbreak of hostilities, China has been working hard to end the conflict and strive for peace. China has proposed a solution to eliminate conflicts and promote peace, playing an important role in further building international consensus. This proposal has been widely welcomed by regional countries and the international community.
In fact, this is not the first time Trump has thanked China for reaching an agreement between the United States and Iran. On the 14th, Trump stated at the White House that China and Russia helped Americans reach an agreement with Iran, or at least prevented the United States from breaching its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by using oil tankers. This contributed to the success of the agreement.
The British Reuters on the 17th pointed out sourly that Trump's statements about China and Russia contrast sharply with his recent criticism of American allies. He has repeatedly complained about Japanese and European allies for not providing sufficient support for America's military operations in Iraq and the subsequent efforts to open up the Strait of Hormuz.
However, according to the Associated Press, although G7 leaders such as French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz, British Prime Minister Sturgeon, and Italian Prime Minister Meloni had previously criticized Trump for launching the war against Iraq without consulting his allies, they welcomed the preliminary agreement reached between the United States and Iraq in their joint statement after the G7 summit. They even praised “President Trump’s strong leadership” for bringing this about.
According to CNN, on the 17th, when leaving the Palace of Versailles in France with Macron, Trump confirmed to the media that he had signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran remotely. "We signed it right at Versailles, I just finished signing it."
The White House subsequently confirmed that Trump had completed the signing on the 17th, but did not clarify whether this document was different from the version signed digitally by him and Vance on the 14th. The White House also did not immediately respond to whether the signing ceremony scheduled for the 19th in Switzerland would still proceed as planned.
According to reports from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagheri said that the Iranian President has completed the signing of the US-Iran Understanding Memorandum through 'digital signature' methods. Therefore, the formal signing ceremony scheduled for the 19th in Switzerland will not take place.
Bagaie pointed out that both the US and Iran previously agreed to complete the agreement text through digital signatures. Therefore, the memorandum is now "officially finalized." Both sides' negotiation teams will still travel to Geneva to continue discussions regarding the follow-up negotiations outlined in the memorandum. According to Iranian sources, the two countries will conduct formal negotiations over nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions against Iran within the next 60 days.
