WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) – US Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen said on Wednesday President Donald Trump should press Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit this week over China’s support for Iran, saying that Chinese firms were helping Tehran economically and militarily.
• In a Senate speech, Shaheen cited reports that Iran obtained high-resolution satellite imagery of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before launching a missile attack that killed three American soldiers and wounded four others.
• She noted that about 90% of Iran’s oil exports go to China and provided it with “billions of dollars of revenue” and a “critical economic lifeline.”
• Shaheen said Chinese and Hong Kong companies had also supplied components used in Iranian ballistic missiles and drones
• She urged Trump to “use his leverage” with Xi to stop Chinese firms from providing satellite imagery, missile and drone parts and access to markets for sanctioned Iranian oil.
• “If we want to bring this war to an end, we need to cut off the outside support that allows Iran to keep fighting, and that starts with China,” she said.
• Shaheen said the administration should enforce sanctions against Chinese entities helping Iran, “and if China doesn’t stop, Congress should impose additional consequences.”
• She said Trump should also consider using authorities in recently enacted Russian sanctions legislation against Chinese purchasers of Russian energy, arguing that China was “the top funder of the war in Ukraine, as well as being one of the top funders of the war in Iran.”
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)