US President Donald Trump gestures before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland [AFP]By Elizabeth Melimopoulos and AFPPublished On 13 May 202613 May 2026
United States President Donald Trump departed for Beijing on Tuesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying the two leaders would hold a “long talk” on Iran even as trade remains the main focus of the visit.
The summit comes as tensions over the war involving Iran continue to escalate, with Tehran accusing Washington and Israel of fabricating “justifications for atrocity”, while Trump insists the conflict will end “peacefully or otherwise”.
Meanwhile, Kuwait said it arrested four alleged members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused of planning “hostile” activities after attempting to enter the country via Bubiyan Island, while Qatar has accused Tehran of “weaponising” the Strait of Hormuz and using it to “blackmail” Gulf states as vital energy supplies remain trapped in the region.
