President Donald Trump declared he had permanently opened the Strait of Hormuz for China and the world, days after imposing a naval blockade to punish Iran, according to a social media post cited by The Times of India.
In the same post, Trump claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured him Beijing would not send weapons to Tehran, promising a “big, fat hug” during his upcoming visit to Beijing.
China has not confirmed any such assurance and remains unhappy about the blockade, which threatens its oil imports from Iran, The Times of India reported.
The Pentagon said it had completely halted maritime trade in and out of Iran following the blockade announcement, involving more than 10,000 troops, warships, and aircraft enforcing restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran warned it could extend its reach beyond the Strait into the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and even the Red Sea, forcing the U.S. To send additional resources to the region.
Despite the military buildup—including an extra 10,000 U.S. Personnel aboard the USS George H W Bush and the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group—Trump struck an incongruously optimistic tone, The Times of India noted.
In a Fox Business Network interview aired on April 15, 2026, Trump said he had asked Xi Jinping in a letter not to give Iran weapons, and that Xi responded China was not supplying Tehran, according to The Hindu.
Trump did not specify when the letters were exchanged, The Hindu added.
Last week, Trump threatened countries with an immediate 50% tariff if they supplied Iran with weapons, The Hindu reported.
China considered giving Iran an advanced X-band radar system early in the conflict, according to reports cited by theweek.in.
The system would help Iran detect and track incoming threats like low-flying drones and cruise missiles, potentially protecting its air defense systems against advanced strikes, theweek.in said, citing CBS News and Defence Intelligence Agency analysts.
It remains unclear whether China decided to move forward with transferring the radar system, theweek.in noted, quoting unnamed officials.
Earlier unconfirmed reports suggested Beijing was routing military hardware through third countries to mask its origin, specifically shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, theweek.in reported.
For more on this story, see Iran Opens Strait of Hormuz: Oil Prices Plunge and Markets Soar.
The X-band radar system was revealed to the world last year when the People’s Liberation Army conducted a missile defense test in the Gobi Desert, during which six ballistic missiles were fired on a single target and all were detected and intercepted by the novel dual-band (S/X) system, theweek.in stated.
Chinese military scientists described the system’s performance as achieving “early detection, precision measurement and accurate reporting,” theweek.in reported.
The technology resembles the US Navy’s USNS Howard O. Lorenzen missile-tracking ship, combining wide-area S-band surveillance with high-resolution X-band targeting, according to theweek.in.
China revealed the radar not only tracks conventional ballistic missiles but also helps distinguish decoys from actual warheads and possesses mid-flight countermeasures like jamming or submunition dispersal, theweek.in added.
The radar’s ability to maintain continuous tracking of 31 decoys and secondary targets while simultaneously prioritizing seven high-value threats demonstrates a leap in anti-saturation capabilities, theweek.in concluded, citing a paper.
Trump’s blockade and overture to China created immediate contradictions in U.S. Iran policy
The president combined military coercion with personal diplomacy, announcing a naval blockade while simultaneously claiming a diplomatic breakthrough with Beijing over Iran arms transfers.
This follows our earlier report, Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz During Lebanon Ceasefire.
China’s potential transfer of advanced radar technology to Iran would significantly alter regional military dynamics
The X-band radar system could enhance Iran’s ability to detect and counter low-flying threats, complicating U.S. And allied operations in the Middle East if transferred.
Iran’s threats to expand military pressure beyond the Strait signal a broader regional escalation risk
Tehran’s warning that it could extend operations into the Red Sea—used by Saudi Arabia for energy exports—suggests the conflict could widen beyond the immediate Hormuz flashpoint.
Why did Trump announce the Strait was “permanently opened” after imposing a blockade?
Trump framed the announcement as a diplomatic win, claiming China had agreed not to send weapons to Iran, though Beijing has not confirmed this assurance.
What makes the X-band radar system strategically significant if transferred to Iran?
Its ability to detect decoys, track multiple threats simultaneously, and employ mid-flight countermeasures would significantly upgrade Iran’s air defense capabilities against precision strikes.
How has Iran responded to the U.S. Naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz?
Iran has threatened to extend its military reach beyond the Strait into the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and even the Red Sea, potentially targeting alternate energy export routes used by U.S. Allies.