Trump expects to discuss Iran war with Xi and Putin at APEC summit in Shenzhen
Key Facts
U.S. President Donald Trump said he expects to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit, and wants to discuss the war on Iran and "nuclear disarmament." Trump said, in remarks reported by Al Jazeera and Reuters, that one of the meetings he expects to hold would be with the two leaders, without indicating that a three-way meeting had been confirmed. Beijing said it was in contact with the relevant parties about a meeting involving the leaders of the three countries, but said nothing had been decided. The APEC leaders' summit is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, 2026. Trump's remarks put the Iran war on the agenda of possible diplomatic contacts on the sidelines of a regional summit, while details of the meeting remain pending.
The U.S. operation known as Iron Gate targets routes for transporting weapons and materials across land borders and the Caspian Sea, according to Al Jazeera, citing U.S. Central Command. The command said the force aims to prevent Iran from using those routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials, while the report said it would be run by 20 civilian and military personnel. Iran's Revolutionary Guard described the plan as "just a play on words." The move comes amid a war that had lasted more than eight months as of November 8, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended as necessary to counter what he called the nuclear threat. Trump gave no details in the reported remarks about any potential role for China or Russia in ending the war.
Trump linked the possibility of avoiding a resumption of strikes to progress in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying renewed attacks would be "very unlikely" if that happened. But Rubio said he did not see talks with Iran on the verge of a breakthrough, and described Iran's demands as unacceptable and unrealistic. The Associated Press, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported that Iran's stockpile had reached 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, compared with a level of about 90% for weapons-grade purity. The agency also said disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had driven up energy prices, and that one-fifth of the world's oil passed through the strait before the war. These issues illustrate the breadth of matters Trump has raised for discussion, while there is no indication of an imminent negotiating agreement.
The idea of a three-way meeting faces reservations over its substance. Analyst Yun Sun said China would not engage in discussions on arms control, Ukraine or Iran, limiting itself to diplomatic assurances about the importance of peace and ending wars. In a separate assessment, she said the question concerned the meeting's format and content, and that Beijing wanted the image without bearing the political costs. Analysts quoted by the Associated Press said the leaders' interests diverged and the meeting could be limited to a symbolic spectacle; Craig Singleton said the scene could be historic without producing meaningful results. Trump had expressed openness in October to a summit with Xi and Putin to discuss nuclear disarmament, saying then that Ukraine was not the focus of the proposed meeting. These positions and assessments remain the backdrop to a possible meeting, not confirmation of an agreed agenda.
The summit is taking place as Washington and Beijing seek to preserve a fragile trade truce that expires in January, according to an Associated Press report. Ahead of leaders' week, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer asked Beijing to take concrete steps to carry out its previous commitments, particularly on purchases of agricultural products, rare earths and critical minerals. In a call between officials, China voiced concerns about U.S. economic and trade restrictions, while describing the exchange as in-depth and constructive. Washington and Beijing agreed at a September summit to continue a mechanism for addressing selected bilateral issues, and the White House said the trade council began work that week. The two sides also agreed, after a three-day summit, on a channel for handling artificial intelligence incidents and to accelerate work on military crisis communications. APEC leaders' week begins on November 14 with meetings of senior officials and business representatives, and concludes with the leaders' meeting on November 19.
APEC comprises 21 economies, including the United States and Russia, giving the summit a broader framework than bilateral contacts between Washington and Beijing. The organization said the region's economies were projected to grow 3.4% in 2026, compared with 3.2% in the previous year, while inflation was expected to rise from 2.4% to 3.2%. These projections put trade and regional growth in the background of the leaders' meeting, alongside the war on Iran and the possibility of discussing nuclear disarmament. Beijing has not set a time or format for the three-way meeting, nor confirmed that specific issues would be on its agenda. Trump's remarks about speaking with Xi and Putin remain the direct indication of what he wants to raise at the summit, as arrangements are expected to become clearer during leaders' week.