Trump says China's Xi Jinping offered to help end Iran conflict

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Foundation for Defense of Democracies founder Clifford May weighed in on the conflict with Iran following President Donald Trump’s two-day summit in China.

After Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping agrees Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open, May questioned whether Beijing would take further action.

“Do I think he’ll do more than that? Do I think he’s going to twist any theocratic arms?” May said during an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters. “I don’t actually think so, but I’m glad he said that.”

May also discussed the challenges of reaching a resolution with Iran.

“These are not rational actors, and they don’t do cost-benefit calculations,” he said.

The State Department on Friday praised the arrest of an Iraqi man accused of plotting attacks against Americans and Jewish institutions.

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi was brought to New York to face federal terrorism charges after what the FBI described as a major international operation.

According to federal authorities, Al-Saadi is accused of orchestrating nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States.

In a statement, the State Department said President Donald Trump has “pledged that anyone who hurts Americans, or is planning to hurt Americans, will be found and held accountable.”

“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi — accused of directing and urging others to attack U.S. interests, including by killing Americans — is now in U.S. custody and will face justice,” the department said.

The agency also thanked federal partners involved in the operation.

According to the FBI, Al-Saadi and his associates allegedly planned and coordinated 18 attacks in the name of Ashab al-Yamin, a pro-Iranian Islamist group that has claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Jewish schools, synagogues and charities in Europe, as well as American, Israeli and Iranian opposition targets.

Cornell University’s Jewish president will not face discipline following a confrontation last month with pro-Palestinian protesters who surrounded his vehicle after a campus debate on Israel.

An investigation by the Ivy League school concluded that President Michael Kotlikoff would not be punished over the April 30 incident, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Cornell’s Board of Trustees issued a statement backing Kotlikoff after the eight-day investigation.

“President Kotlikoff has shown a steadfast commitment to Cornell’s values and principles, and we are confident he will continue to lead with integrity,” the board’s ad hoc investigative committee said.

The investigation also cleared the protesters, who reportedly included both students and non-students.

Still, investigators found the protesters’ actions were “inconsistent with university policies governing expressive activity and our standards for respectful conduct, safety, and the prohibition of intimidation.”

The board added that Kotlikoff will not pursue complaints against the students involved.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., argued Friday that the ongoing conflict with Iran is driving up housing and borrowing costs.

“From gas prices to home costs, Trump’s war of choice is making it harder and harder to afford the life you want,” Warner wrote in a post on X.

Warner also shared a New York Times article examining how the conflict and rising Treasury yields have pushed mortgage rates higher, adding pressure to the already strained U.S. housing market.

President Donald Trump reiterated his position that Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon following his state visit to Beijing.

Trump noted that Tehran has "no deck" of cards to negotiate with during meetings between U.S. and Iranian officials in Pakistan.

"We really had the confines of a deal; no nuclear, they were going to give us the dust... and every time they'd make a deal, the next day it’s like we didn't have that conversation, and that's taken place about five times," Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier from Beijing.

"There's something wrong with them, and actually, they’re crazy, and you know what? Because of that, they cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump added.

Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping agrees that Iran should not be able to possess a nuclear weapon.

"He would like to help... but we don't need help," Trump said. "You know the problem with help? When somebody helps you, they always want something on the other side. That's the way help works."

Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi warned Friday that those who cooperate with the country's regime could face prosecution in a future Islamic Republic.

In a video message, Pahlavi said anyone working with the country's leaders could face criminal charges for the confiscation and transfer or sale of assets seized from protesters and dissidents, as well as other offenses.

"Anyone who knowingly and voluntarily cooperates with the regime’s repressive structures—whether inside or outside Iran—must understand that they will face criminal liability," he said.

"Before taking any action that causes physical, financial, or social harm to the people of Iran, think of your future and that of your family," he added. "Think of the day when Iran will be free; the day when the truth will no longer be hidden; the day when names will be revealed; and the day when no perpetrator can escape accountability before the law."

The Lebanese government filed a sharply worded complaint with the United Nations arguing that the Islamic Republic of Iran has abused diplomatic immunity by refusing to recall its ambassador after Beirut demanded his expulsion and to stop alleged terrorist activities on its soil, according to a recently surfaced letter from late April.

The disclosure of the letter, which is reportedly a precedent-setting move by Lebanon, comes amid a second day of talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon to normalize relations (the countries are in a state of war) and dismantle the Iranian-regime-backed Hezbollah terrorist movement in Lebanon.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday that "The United States facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon have resumed today and are ongoing. The atmosphere of talks has been very positive, even exceeding expectations."

As the sides report back to their capitals, the potentially game-changing letter in which Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Ahmad Arafa, slammed Iran for inserting alleged terrorists from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into Lebanon "under the guise of diplomatic activity," has given hope to critics of Iran and Hezbollah.

Arafa said, according to the letter, that Iran committed "unlawful acts in blatant defiance of the decisions of the Government of Lebanon." He continued, "This Iranian conduct constitutes direct and blatant interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon and drags the country into a war it did not choose to become involved in."

This is an excerpt from an article by Benjamin Weinthal.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will attend the homecoming for the USS Gerald R. Ford when it returns to Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday.

The aircraft carrier has been at sea for 326 days. That makes its deployment the longest for an aircraft carrier in the last 50 years and the third longest since the Vietnam War, according to data compiled by USNI News, a news outlet run by the U.S. Naval Institute, a nonprofit organization.

The ship has been at sea since last June, when it was stationed in the Mediterranean Sea.

In October, the ship was rerouted to the Caribbean to support oil-tanker seizures and the U.S. capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.In February, the ship was deployed to the Middle East as U.S. tensions with Iran escalated.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.

An Iraqi man accused of orchestrating nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States has been brought to New York to face federal terrorism charges after what the FBI described as a major international operation.

Since early March, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi and his associates allegedly planned and coordinated 18 attacks in the name of Ashab al-Yamin, a pro-Iranian Islamist group that has taken credit for attacks against Jewish schools, synagogues and charities in Europe, as well as American, Israeli and Iranian opposition targets, according to the FBI.

"The FBI’s successful FTOC (foreign transfer of custody) of Mohammad Al-Saadi, another high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism, is just the latest success in this administration’s historic work to bring terrorists to justice," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. "This was a righteous mission executed brilliantly by our agents, investigators, CIRG tactical units, and interagency partners who delivered yet again."

Al-Saadi has posted Ashab al-Yamin-branded propaganda videos claiming responsibility for the attacks, including video recordings from attacks against Jewish places or persons in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, according to federal prosecutors. 

The FBI said it took action after learning that Al-Saadi was planning to expand Ashab al-Yamin’s operations to the United States. He allegedly directed other individuals in an attempt to coordinate terrorist attacks in the United States against synagogues and other Jewish institutions across the country.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz stated that China has "backed away" from Iran after meeting with President Donald Trump during his state visit to Beijing this week.

Appearing on "The Story," Waltz described the shift in Beijing’s posture as a significant outcome of the summit.

When asked for specifics on how China has moved away from Tehran, the Ambassador said that Beijing has agreed to a policy of no nuclear weapons and no militarization of the Straits of Hormuz.

"I’ve got to tell you, to see the Chinese backing away from Iran after meeting with President Trump was a huge outcome of this summit," Waltz said.

Waltz emphasized that countries cannot treat international shipping lanes like the Straits of Gibraltar, the Straits of Malacca, or the Strait of Hormuz as private sources of revenue through tolling.

He characterized these commitments as a massive step in favor of U.S. interests and global maritime security.

Trump departed China on Friday to return to the White House after concluding three days of talks with President Xi Jinping.

"We had a great stay. It was an amazing period of time. President Xi’s an incredible guy. We’ve made a lot of great trade deals," Trump said Friday aboard Air Force One

A discussion about progressive U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner drew a tense reaction during the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s national summit in Washington, D.C., this week.

“And then there’s Maine,” political strategist Simon Rosenberg said, referring to the state’s Senate race.

Among Jewish Democrats, the Jerusalem Post reported, there is a debate over whether to support Platner, whose past Nazi tattoo and staunch criticism of Israel have raised concerns for some.

Despite the controversy, he is seen as a key hope for the party to unseat a Republican incumbent and help Democrats retake control of the Senate.

“The Maine party is excited, ready to go, and we’re all going to be along the Platner train in a few weeks,” Rosenberg said. “He’s going to be the candidate, and let’s hope the very best of him comes out in the next five or six weeks. But that is going to be an interesting race.”

The cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by 45 days following two days of "productive talks," the State Department said Friday.

"The State Department will reconvene the political track of negotiations on June 2 and June 3," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X.

"In addition, a security track will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29 with military delegations from both countries," he said.

"We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the establishment of genuine security along their shared border," Pigott wrote. 

Israel on Friday targeted a Hamas leader it described as an architect of the October 7, 2023, attacks.

The Israeli Air Force launched an airstrike against Hamas military chief Izz al-Din Haddad in Gaza City, according to a joint statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, as reported by the Times of Israel.

It wasn't clear if al-Haddad was killed in the strike.

He assumed the role of the militant group's military chief in the Gaza Strip following Israel's killing of commander Mohammad Sinwar in May 2025, Reuters reported.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Thursday introduced a bill to revoke visas from close relatives of terrorists and bar them from entering the United States.

“Relatives of terrorists have no business being in our country,” Cotton told Breitbart News. “My bill would revoke visas from family members of terrorists to keep Arkansans safer.”

The "No Safe Haven for Terrorist Families Act" would revoke existing visas from terrorists’ close family members and prohibit them from obtaining any future visas.

The legislation follows reports that the niece and grandniece of the deceased Iranian Quds Force Commander, Qasem Soleimani—who are known for spreading anti-American, pro-terror propaganda—were allowed to live legally in the U.S. on visas for years, Cotton said.

The price of gasoline is set to drop as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) appears poised to collapse, experts predict.

OPEC has long kept crude oil prices higher than they would otherwise be. If this pans out, it will be a major victory for the Trump administration, which is resetting global energy markets.

The news of a probable end of the oil cartel also vindicates President Donald Trump, who has previously said OPEC is "ripping off the rest of the world." For a long time, the president has led a pressure campaign against OPEC, which has vast crude oil reserves that could easily be pumped. But the organization restricts the number of barrels of oil that each country may pump each day. That keeps gasoline prices elevated across the U.S. and much of the rest of the world. 

Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at The PRICE Futures Group and a FOX Business contributor said, "Over time, the breakup of the cartel should cause gas prices to fall. With more player pricing, oil only being contained by market forces should lead to an ounce of supply and lower prices. Competition is good as it lowers prices and collusion by producers raises prices."

Flynn linked the U.S.-Israel war with Iran as a historic marker. "I think that is a real possibility and more OPEC countries want to control their own destiny.

In fact, when we look back at one of the strategic victories from Operation Epic Fury, it is that it has changed the face of the OPEC cartel forever and shifted energy dominance from the cartel back into our hemisphere. The UAE was getting tired of playing second fiddle to Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the cartel. 2

The UEA wants to assert its leadership and has a competitive goal to not only increase oil production in the long term, but it wants to assert itself as the leader of the region."

This is an excerpt from an article by Simon Constable.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran has “no trust to Americans,” which is the “main obstacle in the way of any diplomatic effort.” 

Speaking on the sidelines of a BRICS meeting in New Delhi, India, Araghchi said “After 40 days of war, when the U.S. became hopeless of achieving any goal in their aggression against Iran, they offered negotiations.” 

“We are interested in negotiation, but only if the other side is serious,” he said. “We have no trust to Americans. This is a fact. And this is the main obstacle in the way of any diplomatic effort. I think all of you know that we have every reason not to trust Americans, while they have no reason not to trust us.” 

“It is also suffering from contradictory messages we receive from Americans,” Araghchi also claimed. “Every day is different from the other day, from yesterday. A tweet today is different from yesterday's tweet. Sometimes in one day we receive two different messages and this is the problem and adds to the question of mistrust.” 

President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran’s latest peace offer didn’t have strong enough guarantees when it came to their nuclear program, and that it included an "unacceptable sentence." 

The Senate was two votes away from taking a step toward handcuffing President Donald Trump's war authorities in Iran this week. 

It’s the closest Senate Democrats have come to trying to reassert Congress’ authority on the matter, and was nearly successful thanks to one Senate Republican known for an independent streak: Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. 

That vote, in particular, came after Congress had sprinted past the 60-day deadline to either authorize or halt Trump’s war. Murkowski argued that she hoped the administration would give more clarity on next steps, but so far hadn’t received such information. 

"So I felt that it was now time to advance a discharge so that we can discuss our responsibilities through the War Powers Act," Murkowski said. "So it's — we're in a different place than we were last time we voted on this."

Many of her votes for or against any given piece of legislation are determined by a simple principle: how will this vote affect Alaska? 

"Senator Murkowski approaches every decision thoughtfully, always asking what is best for Alaska," Joseph Plesha, a spokesperson for Murkowski, told Fox News Digital. "When she believes a policy advances those priorities, she supports it, regardless of party or politics." 

That style of decision-making was on full display last year, when Murkowski cast the deciding vote for the president’s "big, beautiful bill," his most significant legislative accomplishment of his second term to date.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it has eliminated 220 terrorists from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon over the past week. 

“The IDF continues to operate to remove threats to Israeli civilians and IDF forces in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military wrote on X. “During the past week, the IDF struck more than 440 infrastructures of the Hezbollah terror organization in various areas in southern Lebanon.” 

“Additionally, more than 220 terrorists from the Hezbollah terror organization who operated to advance terror plots against IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon were eliminated,” it also said. 

The IDF released a video showing multiple airstrikes being carried out against Hezbollah infrastructure. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he and President Donald Trump agree that Iran “must come to the negotiating table now” to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East. 

“I had a good phone call with Donald Trump on his way back from China. We agree: Iran must come to the negotiating table now. It must open the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons,” Merz wrote in a post on X. 

“We also discussed a peaceful solution for Ukraine and coordinated our positions ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara,” he added. “The U.S. and Germany are strong partners in a strong NATO.” 

Earlier this month, approximately 5,000 U.S. troops were ordered to withdraw from Germany.  

"The Secretary of War has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany," chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Fox News Digital at the time. 

The order came after Merz criticized the U.S. approach to Iran, saying Washington was being "humiliated by the Iranian leadership" and expressing hope the conflict would end "as quickly as possible." 

Trump previously has criticized Merz as well, saying he "doesn’t know what he’s talking about" regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions. 

Fox News Digital’s Brittany Miller contributed to this post.

U.S. Central Command said Friday that 75 commercial ships have been redirected as part of the military’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports. 

CENTCOM revealed the statistic alongside an image of a MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter taking off from the flight deck of the USS Rafael Peralta, operating in support of the blockade. 

The U.S. military blockade was launched on April 13. 

U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper said this week that Operation Epic Fury has enhanced U.S. military partnerships across the Middle East. 

"In terms of our partners, I think a key feature is we have enhanced [military] relationships across the board in the Middle East," Cooper said Thursday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "As we sit here right now, we have five specific partner nations who are not just conceptually side by side, but literally side by side with the United States in defense." 

Cooper named the partners as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. 

"Over the course of Epic Fury, they've defended themselves, and they defended Americans,"he added. "In addition to those key allies, everything that we've accomplished would have been impossible without the Kingdom of Jordan, and clearly, we were operating very closely with the state of Israel." 

Cooper also said, “in less than 40 days, CENTCOM forces achieved our military objectives.” 

“Most notably, we degraded Iran's ability to project power outside its borders and threaten the region and threaten our interests,” Cooper added. 

President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier that he “didn’t underestimate anything” when it comes to the war against Iran. 

The comment came after Baier asked Trump in an interview, “Did you underestimate the pain tolerance that Iran has for this?” 

“I didn’t underestimate anything. We hit them unbelievably hard. Look, we left their bridges. We left their electricity capacity. We can knock that all out in two days. Two days. Everything. We left Kharg Island, other than, I said ‘hit it except for the valves where the oil comes out.’ Because when you hit that, that means you're going to lose a little oil. But one thing is happening. Amazingly, ships are floating up to Texas and Louisiana, and they're going to Alaska, and they're loading up with oil like we've never seen before,” Trump said. 

Tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, with the U.S. trying to broker a long-term peace agreement with the regime in Tehran. 

“Americans want to know when it's over though, right?” Baier also asked Trump. 

“Yeah look, Vietnam lasted 19 years. Iraq was like ten years. Korea was seven years. Another one was 14 years. Another one was 12 years. Another one was nine years,” Trump responded. “We're in there for two and a half months. The other thing they talk about. So, we lost tens of thousands of soldiers in Vietnam, we lost tens of thousands of soldiers in practically every war. I've lost, and I wish we'd lost none because I know those parents. I spoke to ‘em, lost 13 soldiers in two wars.” 

China’s foreign ministry released a statement Friday saying there is “no point” in continuing the war with Iran. 

“China’s position on the Iran situation is very clear. The conflict has inflicted severe losses on the people in Iran and other regional countries,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said before President Donald Trump’s departure from Beijing, where he had been meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

“With the spillover still expanding, the conflict has put a heavy strain on global economic growth, supply chains, international trade order and the stability of global energy supply, which hurts the common interests of the international community," the statement continued. “There is no point in continuing this conflict which should not have happened in the first place.” 

“To find an early way to resolve the situation is in the interest of not only the U.S. and Iran, but also regional countries and the rest of the world,” it added.  

The U.S. is trying to choke off Iran’s economy at sea, but a growing China-linked rail corridor is giving Tehran a workaround that Washington cannot easily shut down without risking a wider conflict.

As freight traffic between China and Iran increases along an overland route beyond the reach of American warships, the dynamic is exposing a core limitation in the U.S. strategy: maritime pressure is powerful, but it doesn’t fully extend across Eurasia.

According to Bloomberg, cargo trains running from central China to Iran have jumped from roughly one per week before the blockade to one every three or four days, highlighting a growing alternative channel as Tehran looks to blunt maritime pressure.

The corridor runs through multiple sovereign countries, including Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, making it far more complex to disrupt than shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf.

Directly targeting that overland network would risk widening the conflict and escalating tensions with Beijing, which has spent years investing in trade routes designed to bypass maritime choke points dominated by the U.S. Navy.

That combination of geography, diplomacy and escalation risk helps explain why Washington has focused overwhelmingly on maritime interdiction rather than attempting to shut down overland trade routes.

Experts say the rail corridor remains limited in its ability to offset Iran’s main oil exports.

President Donald Trump accused a New York Times reporter on Friday of writing “treasonous” coverage about the war against Iran. 

Trump made the remark onboard Air Force One after the reporter asked him what the U.S. would gain if it resumed bombing Iran following the ongoing ceasefire. 

“You did it for 38 days and you did not get the political changes in Iran,” the reporter was telling Trump before the president interrupted and said, "I had a total military victory, but the fake news, guys like you, write incorrectly.” 

"You're a fake guy and guys like you write about it incorrectly. We had a total military victory. We knocked out their entire Navy. We knocked out their entire Air Force. We knocked out, all of their antiaircraft weaponry. We knocked out all of their radar,” Trump continued.  

“We knocked out all of their leaders, number one. And then we knocked out all of their leaders in the second division, and we knocked out numerous of their leaders in the third division. And they're very confused. We've had a total victory, except like people like you that don't write the truth,” Trump added. “I actually think it's sort of treasonous what you write. But you and the New York Times, and CNN I would say, are the worst.” 

“Your editors tell you what to write and you write it, and you should be ashamed of yourself,” Trump also said. “I actually think it's treason when you write like, they're doing well militarily and they have no Navy, no Air Force, no anti anything?” 

President Donald Trump suggested Friday that the U.S. could enter Iran at some point to remove "nuclear dust” following the June 2025 U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

"At the right time, we'll either go in or we'll get it. I think we'll probably get it, but if we don't get it, we'll go in,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One.

“I think they'll be totally defeated,” Trump said about Iran. “And we won't have any risk. We have the equipment to take it out, nobody else does, China might have the equipment.”

Trump issued a similar warning at the White House in March regarding Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles, saying at the time, "Either we'll get it back from them or we'll take it."

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he is not asking for any favors from Chinese President Xi Jinping when it comes to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. 

Trump made the remark to reporters while traveling on Air Force One following his departure from Beijing, China, where he had been meeting with Xi.

When asked if Xi made any firm commitments to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, “I'm not asking for any favors, because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return.” 

“We don't need favors. We've wiped out their armed forces essentially,” the president said about Iran. 

"We may have to do a little cleanup work because we had a little monthlong, ceasefire, I guess you'd call it. But we have a blockade that's so effective. That's why we did the ceasefire," Trump said, referencing the U.S. military blockade against Iranian ports.

Asked if he thinks China will put pressure on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump reiterated, "I don't need favors."

"I think he will. I think automatically, he'd like to see it opened up," Trump said of Xi. "He gets about 40% of his energy or his oil from that. You know, from the strait. We get none.... We don't need it."

President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran’s latest peace offer didn’t have strong enough guarantees when it came to their nuclear program. 

“I looked at it, and if I don't like the first sentence, I just throw it away,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One while traveling home from China. 

“What was the first sentence?” Trump was asked. 

“An unacceptable sentence because they have fully agreed, no nuclear. And if they have any nuclear of any form, I don't read the rest of it,” Trump said. 

The reporter responded, “So 20 years is not enough for you, it’s got to be a permanent...”

“No, 20 years is enough," Trump interjected. "But the level of guarantee from them is not enough. In other words, it's got to be a real 20 years.”

Trump referenced "nuclear dust," a phrase he coined for Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium buried beneath bombed nuclear sites after U.S. strikes. The U.S. wants the material removed or confiscated, but Trump told reporters the Iranians have not yet agreed.

"They said that they can't remove it because they don't have the technology to remove it. They don't have the type of tractors," Trump said on Air Force Once. "They say the only one, they told me directly, they said the only one that can remove it is China or the US. We're the only ones with the equipment."

"They said you were right. It is a complete obliteration," he added. "With that being said, I want to get it. and they agreed to it, but then they took it back. But they'll agree to it eventually."

President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that he personally wasn’t in favor of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but implemented one at the request of other nations.  

“We really did the ceasefire at the request of other nations. I wouldn't have really been in favor of it, but we did it as a favor to Pakistan,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One while heading back to the U.S. from China. 

Pakistan has served as a key mediator in negotiations between the U.S. and Pakistan. 

Trump left Beijing on Friday following meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it has started “to attack infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the Tyre area in southern Lebanon” after rockets were launched toward Israeli territory. 

“Overnight, the IDF attacked and destroyed the launcher from which the terrorist organization Hezbollah fired several rockets toward the Kiryat Shmona area last night,” the IDF said earlier. 

“The launcher was attacked in the Zibdin area in southern Lebanon,” it added. “Alongside the launcher, several structures used by the terrorist organization for military purposes and for launching terror attacks against IDF forces and the citizens of the State of Israel were also attacked.” 

The escalation comes as representatives from Israel and Lebanon are meeting again in Washington on Friday for talks aimed at resolving their conflict. Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, is backed by Iran.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged not to provide military equipment to Iran and offered to help end the conflict during their meeting in Beijing.

During an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity following the summit, Trump said China’s relationship with Iran was discussed extensively as tensions continue across the Middle East.

“He said he's not going to give military equipment. That's a big statement,” Trump said. “He said that today. That's a big statement. Said that strongly.”

Trump also said Xi wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened as China continues relying heavily on oil shipments moving through the region.

“He'd like to see Hormuz Strait opened,” Trump said. “I said, well, we didn't stop it. They did it. And then we stopped them.”

Trump said Xi additionally offered to help broker a resolution to the conflict.

“He said, if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help,” Trump said.

The president also renewed pressure on Tehran to reach an agreement before the conflict escalates further.

“They should make a deal,” Trump added. “Any sane person would make a deal, but they might be crazy.”

Yesterday's Fox News Digital liveblog has additional coverage of the Iran conflict.