Trump seeks meeting with Xi and Putin to end Iran war
US President Donald Trump is seeking the cooperation of China and Russia to end the ongoing war with Iran. To that end, he has said he plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
Speaking to journalists in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said a meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin could take place. He said, "I think there will be a meeting with President Putin and President Xi. The meeting will be great."
Under Trump's plan, the meeting could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, next week. Leaders of the Asia-Pacific region will gather at the summit.
On the war situation with Iran, Trump said the United States is trying to bring the war to an end and that good progress is being made. He claimed Iran is effectively being blockaded.
Trump also announced the launch of the US operation called "Operation Iron Gate". In his words, the operation is aimed at stopping goods and supplies from entering Iran by land.
Trump said, "That means nothing can come in by land. You know, because of the naval blockade, nothing can come in by water either."
In other words, according to Trump, supplies into Iran have been cut off by both land and sea. Amid this blockade, he is now seeking the cooperation of China and Russia to end the war.
It is worth noting that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping, founded in 1989, has 21 member countries. Australia, Canada, Japan, China, Russia and the United States are among its notable members.
The leaders of the member countries meet every year at a summit. This year's summit is being held in Shenzhen, China.
According to Trump's announcement, his meeting with Xi and Putin is expected to take place on the sidelines of this summit. If the meeting happens, the three leaders will discuss the Iran war directly.
