President Donald Trump said that he does not need Chinese President Xi Jinping’s help in the war in Iran as he departed the White House for China. However, he said he would speak to the leader at length about the conflict.

“I don’t think we need any help with Iran. We’ll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

The leaders of ‌the world’s two largest economies will hold their first face-to-face talks in more than six months as they try to stabilize ties strained by trade, the US and Israeli war with Iran and other areas of disagreement.

Trump is heading to China amid an unresolved Iran war with diplomatic negotiations to end it at an impasse. Beijing maintains ties with Iran and remains a major consumer of its oil exports.

The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group called on the government Tuesday to withdraw from direct talks with Israel, calling them a concession and urging “indirect negotiations.”

Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold two days of talks in Washington starting Thursday in an attempt to end the latest fighting that broke out two months ago, following the Iran war, and discuss the future of relations between the two sides that have been at war since Israel was created in 1948.

Hezbollah leader urges indirect talks

Naim Kassem said in a letter directed to the group’s officials that direct negotiations benefit Israel and that they are “concessions by Lebanese authorities.” He said Lebanon’s government should instead resort to indirect negotiations with Israel, as in previous years, such as when a ceasefire was reached in November 2024.

Indirect talks are usually done through a third party.

Saudi Arabia carried out unpublicised retaliatory strikes on Iran during the conflict earlier this year, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

It follows reports that the United Arab Emirates also conducted attacks on the Islamic Republic.

Tehran could enrich uranium up to 90 per cent purity – a level considered weapons-grade – if the country is attacked once more, a top parliamentary official, Ebrahim Rezaei, said on Tuesday.

“One of Iran’s options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment. We will review it in the parliament,” he posted on X.

It follows reports in CNN that Donald Trump is considering new military strikes on the country, as he grows impatient with the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and feels a division in the Iranian leadership is obstructing progress towards a deal.

James C Reynolds reports:

Defence minister John Healey’s announced the UK’s commitment to contribute military support during a virtual summit with more than 40 of his counterparts from other nations involved in the mission, which he said would become operational when conditions allowed.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister said that the presence of French and British warships in the key shipping route, effectively controlled by Tehran in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks, “will be met with a decisive and immediate response”.

It came after the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Royal Navy was sending the HMS Dragon warship to the Middle East, where it could join an international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Sir Keir Starmer had originally said the mission, planned alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, would only take place once fighting in the region ends.

The United Kingdom will send drones, jets and a warship to aid a multinational defensive mission to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Defence minister John Healey said on Tuesday: “With our allies, this multinational mission will be defensive, independent and credible.”

Autonomous mine-hunting equipment, Typhoon fighter jets and the warship HMS dragon will be contributed to the mission as part of £115m of new funding for the operation.

The UK and European allies had previously expressed a reluctance to get involved in the conflict.

Britain said on Tuesday it would contribute autonomous mine-hunting equipment, Typhoon fighter jets and the warship HMS Dragon to a multinational defensive mission aimed at securing shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.