“China, let’s see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” Bessent said during a live Fox News Channel interview.

Bessent said that China was buying 90% of Iran’s energy, “so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism”.

He said that he was urging China to “join us in this international operation” to open the strait, but he did not specify what action Beijing should take.

He added that China and Russia should stop blocking initiatives moving through the UN, such as a resolution encouraging steps to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Bessent said Trump and Xi have been discussing the Iran situation and will exchange views on this in person during their May 14-15 summit in Beijing.

However, he emphasised that the two will strive to maintain stability in the US-China relationship that was established with their trade truce reached last October in Busan, South Korea.

“We’ve had great stability in the relationship, and again, that comes from the two leaders having great respect for each other,” he said.

Bessent also insisted that the US is fully in control of the Strait of Hormuz through its blockade of Iranian shipping and that the new US Navy operation to guide shipping through the strategic waterway will bring oil prices down.

He called high fuel prices a “temporary aberration” that will end in a matter of weeks or months.

“Again, we are cognisant that this short-term blip up in prices is affecting the American people, but I am also confident on the other side of this, prices are going to come down very quickly,” Bessent said, adding that the oil market will be well-supplied.