Some lawmakers say Trump should confront Xi over Chinese support for Iran

A group of Democratic lawmakers have urged President Donald Trump to confront Chinese President Xi Jinping over alleged Chinese support for Iran during a summit later this week. The lawmakers claim that Chinese companies have shared wartime satellite imagery with Iran, which they say has resulted in the deaths of three U.S. soldiers. The lawmakers are veterans of the armed services and cited a Wall Street Journal report as evidence of the Chinese support.

Rep. John Moolenaar, a Republican and chairman of the House Select Committee on China, called the Chinese cooperation with the Iranian military "tantamount to an act of war against the United States." He also noted that the link between Chinese imagery and lethal Iranian attacks marks a "dramatic unilateral escalation." The State Department sanctioned four China-based entities in May for providing satellite imagery that enabled Iran's military strikes against U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Trump, in a separate letter last week, stated that the Chinese "basically do what we do" and that he believes Xi has behaved "reasonably well." The lawmakers argue that Trump has the opportunity to condemn China's role in arming and enabling Iran and demand an end to their support. Rep. Pat Ryan, a New York Democrat and former Army intelligence officer, warned that the information could be "dangerous in the wrong hands" and criticized Trump for not taking action to stop the Chinese support.