Beijing pushes back on Trump claim seized Iranian ship carried ‘gift from China’

Beijing on Wednesday pushed back on claims by US President Donald Trump who had said the Iranian ship intercepted by American forces might have had a “gift from China.”

“China has made clear its position more than once. Let me reiterate that as a responsible major country, China has always been a role model in performing its due international obligations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.

Trump on Tuesday claimed that the Iranian-flagged cargo ship TOUSKA, seized Sunday by US forces after refusing to comply with a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, was carrying what he described as a "gift from China."

US Central Command confirmed the vessel remains in US custody following the interception.

The US imposed blockade of the key waterway last week, after top officials from Washington and Tehran met in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

The tensions continue as Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire, which was set to expire Wednesday, without giving a new timeframe.

Islamabad hosted talks after securing a two-week ceasefire on April 8, but the US and Iran remain indecisive towards a final agreement to end the war.