Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Trump may delay China trip to guide Iran war

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said President Trump might postpone his trip to China in late March if he needs to monitor the Iran war from Washington.

Mr. Trump floated the possibility of a delay as he pressured Beijing to assist the effort to open the Strait of Hormuz.

However, Mr. Bessent said a delay in the March 31-April 2 visit would not be tied to the campaign to reopen the oil-shipping channel near Iran.

“If the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president demanded that China police the Strait of Hormuz,” Mr. Bessent told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan. “If the meeting, for some reason, is rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics.”

Mr. Bessent explained the situation in between meetings with his Chinese counterpart, He Lifeng, in Paris.

Also Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the possibility of postponement.

“The president looks forward to visiting China,” she told White House reporters. “The dates may be moved. As commander in chief, it’s his number one priority right now to ensure the continued success of this operation, Epic Fury. So we will keep you updated on the dates soon.”

Mr. Trump agreed months ago to visit China, setting the stage for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping about trade and other global matters.

Yet Mr. Trump and Israel ordered a military operation against Iran on Feb. 28, leading to retaliatory strikes that upended the flow of oil through the region.

The price of Brent crude oil, an international benchmark, traded at over $100 per barrel on Monday.

Mr. Trump is pressuring other nations to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz and told the Financial Times on Sunday that he would like to know Beijing’s position before his trip

“We may delay,” the president said in the interview.

Mr. Bessent offered a separate explanation, underscoring the fast-moving nature of the conflict and geopolitical fallout.

The national average price of a gallon of gas reached $3.72 on Monday, up from less than $3 a month ago, as the strait closure and Iranian attacks on Gulf nations raise oil prices.

“The Iranian ships have been getting out already, and we’ve let that happen to supply the rest of the world,” Mr. Bessent told CNBC.

Ms. Leavitt said Mr. Trump will keep prodding other nations to break the logjam in the Strait of Hormuz.

“He continues to speak with our allies in Europe and is calling on them for support, just as he did when he called on them to step up with respect to their defense spending in NATO,” Ms. Leavitt said. “He’s calling them to do more here.”