China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday firmly rejected the US President Donald Trump’s claim that an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel seized by US forces had been “a gift from China,” according to Reuters.
The United States announced that it had fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel after it attempted to evade a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Tehran confirmed the ship had departed from China, denouncing the US interception as “armed piracy” and vowing to retaliate.
Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday, Trump said the vessel “had some things on it, which wasn’t very nice. A gift from China, perhaps, I don’t know.”
In response, China dismissed these comments.
“China opposes any accusations and associations that lack a factual basis,” ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.
Jiakun further noted that normal international trade between nations should proceed free from interference or disruption.
Maritime security sources also revealed on Monday that the container ship Touska, boarded and seized by US forces on Sunday, is believed to be carrying what Washington considers dual-use items with potential military applications.
War in Iran
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies especially after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The adversaries remain locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran tightens its control over maritime traffic while the United States continues to enforce a blockade on Iranian ports.
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