Senator Lindsey Graham issued a strong ultimatum to Beijing, demanding that China change its position on global conflicts just as President Donald Trump arrived in the country to meet with President Xi Jinping. While Trump was telling Xi that it is “an honor to be his friend,” Graham was taking a much harder tone on Fox News, speaking with Sean Hannity, who was in Beijing to cover the summit.
Graham claimed he has introduced a bill that would allow the President to impose tariffs on China for buying Russian oil and gas. He then argued that China is currently aligned with the wrong countries, specifically pointing to their purchase of cheap oil from Iran. He insisted that if China stopped buying Iranian oil, or even threatened to do so, the ongoing conflict with Iran would be over.
His demands went further. According to Mediaite, he called on China to help the United States open the Strait of Hormuz and stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, expressing concern that Iran would actually use one if it obtained it. He also called on China to help end the war in Russia and Ukraine, which he said is hurting the global economy.
Graham’s threats follow a pattern, but Trump’s Beijing visit carries real stakes
Graham laid out his position clearly: “If you help us, I will be very grateful. If you don’t help us and you continue to prop up these regimes, I will do business with you on Monday and put tariffs on you on Tuesday.” This is not the first time Graham has issued such warnings.
In March, he told Saudi Arabia that consequences would follow if the kingdom did not get more involved in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. In January, he targeted the leadership in Cuba, stating that their days are numbered. These kinds of threats are a recurring theme in his public statements, even when he is not in a position to carry them out directly.
Trump’s visit to Beijing, the first by a U.S. president since 2017, comes as peace talks remain stalled and the global economic costs of the conflict continue to rise. The war has reshaped alliances in the Middle East and driven up the prices of oil and other key goods.
Washington wants Tehran to scrap its nuclear program and lift its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war began on February 28 carried about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas. Reports have also shown that Trump rejected Iran’s earlier peace gestures, prompting the Pentagon to make significant military moves in the region.
While the Trump administration hopes to convince China to play a more active role in pushing Iran to back down, analysts are skeptical. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the same program that the administration has made it clear to Chinese officials that any support for Iran would hurt the relationship between the two countries.
According to Reuters, despite these warnings, on Wednesday a Chinese supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, marking the third such passage since the conflict began. The war is also fueling inflation at home, raising concerns that voters could blame the Republican Party in the November midterm elections.
A recent New York Times report raised serious questions about how far Trump’s Iran victory claims diverged from reality, suggesting the administration’s account of events on the ground may not match what actually happened. Vice President JD Vance recently suggested that progress is being made in negotiations, but the key question remains whether the administration can meet the President’s stated red line.
It is a guarantee that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon, a claim Iran continues to deny seeking. As diplomatic talks continued in Beijing, with figures like Elon Musk and Tim Cook in attendance, the gap between the administration’s goals and the reality of international alliances remains wide. Graham’s ultimatum adds more tension to an already complicated situation, even if his ability to act on those threats remains open to debate.
Published: May 14, 2026 02:56 pm