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Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday at a summit in Kyrgyzstan and reaffirmed Beijing's willingness to develop relations with the country even though the US blamed Tehran for the country's responsibility. Attack of two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.
Xi met Rouhani privately at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Reuters reported. The Chinese leader promised to develop the relationship no matter how the situation evolves.
He recently told the TASS news agency that Washington was exerting "extreme pressure" on Iran and that "the situation is worrying".
President Trump has taken a tough stance on China and Iran in recent months. The United States is engaged in a duel with Beijing on trade, with both countries appearing to be engaged in a long battle. The Trump administration has threatened to impose additional tariffs on Chinese exports of $ 325 billion if no agreement was reached at this month's G20 in Japan.
Trump said he wanted to talk to Tehran, but the United States relied on sanctions that led to the fall of the Iranian currency and its essential oil exports. The United States has also sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the area, as well as hundreds of additional troops to support the tens of thousands already deployed across the Middle East.
The meeting between Xi and Rouhani took place as tensions between the United States and Iran seemed to get worse. The United States released Thursday night a video showing that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were removing an unexploded mine from an attacked tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. The United States says Iran has sought to remove evidence from the scene. The footage is that of the ship, Kokuka Courageous. The ship's crew reported the "flying objects" before the attack.
Yutaka Katada, president of the shipping company, told the Associated Press that he thought the objects observed by the sailors were bullets. He also stated that the damage had been caused above the ship's waterline. As a result, mines and torpedoes would probably not be guilty. He called the US mine report "fake".
Katada said the crew had spotted an Iranian warship nearby at the time of the attack. A US official told Fox News earlier that an Iranian gunboat approached the ship after the attack and removed the mine. The official, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential information, said that the alleged Iranian ship was not wearing a flag and that the crew members were not wearing uniforms.
The Navy did not immediately respond to an email from Fox News on Friday about Katada's claim. The attack came as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The other vessel attacked was the MT Front Altair, owned by Norway. Both were loaded with petroleum products. Both vessels were abandoned and drifting in the waters, Reuters reported.
A source told the news agency that the Altair Front blast could have been a magnetic mine.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for "blatantly assaulting" oil tankers.
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Tehran said that Pompeo's accusations were alarming and that he was "in charge of maintaining the security of the strait and we saved the crew of the attacked tankers as soon as possible".
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