Gulf crisis weakens Trump's hand in his coming talks with Xi
Key takeaways
- This is the paradox now shaping U.S. strategy: The harder Washington pushes for a rapid Iran resolution before May 14, the more it reveals urgency that expands Chinese leverage.
- That urgency flows directly from the incentives now governing all three capitals.
- The triangle is more misaligned than it first appears.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Antoun, opinion contributor - 05/09/26 11:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Charbel A. Antoun, opinion contributor - 05/09/26 11:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied FILE President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shake hands before their meeting at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) As President Trump prepares to fly to Beijing for his summit with Xi Jinping, the unresolved war in the Persian Gulf is threatening to hand China its strongest non tariff bargaining chip before the first handshake.
The closer the summit draws, the more urgently Washington is racing to freeze the Iran crisis, because nothing weakens America s hand at the table with Xi like arriving with the Strait of Hormuz still contested and global energy markets still rattled.
This is the paradox now shaping U.S. strategy: The harder Washington pushes for a rapid Iran resolution before May 14, the more it reveals urgency that expands Chinese leverage.