Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. File
| Photo Credit: AP
India and China could be among key players who could contribute to resolving the West Asia conflict if U.S. President Donald Trump wants to use “diplomacy instead of bluster”, said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Talking about the conflict, Ms. Clinton, in an interview with C-SPAN, said: “The misconceptions on a strategic level have led us to where we are.” The conflict began on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes. It also led to the choking of the vital Strait of Hormuz. In June, the U.S. and Iran signed an interim peace agreement, but it collapsed last month with fresh strikes from both sides.
“If you want to figure out how Trump could get out of this. I think the key to it is probably China and India, because if you look at who buys the most oil and gas from Iran, it’s China and India,” said Ms. Clinton on Monday (August 24, 2026).
Pakistan, Oman and Qatar are among countries trying to mediate between the U.S. and Iran to end the conflict amid heightened tensions.
The key sticking point in the conflict is the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has been disrupted because of the war. Roughly a fifth of the world’s energy supplies passed through the Gulf chokepoint in normal times.
Ms. Clinton said China, in particular, can put pressure on Tehran, as it is one of the biggest buyers of oil and gas from Iran.
“China is far ahead of that; they have been banking a lot of fossil fuels they got in tankers … they have been building more reserves … but they are going to need Iran,” she said.
“It does seem to me that’s where the best pressure would come from if Trump were willing to actually use diplomacy instead of bluster,” Ms. Clinton said.
Her comments came after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new round of sanctions aimed at Iran and warned every country that does business with the Islamic Republic to sever those financial ties or face retaliation from the U.S., while Tehran has threatened a military response to the U.S. plans to impose fresh sanctions.
China, Turkiye and the UAE are Iran’s largest trade partners.
When asked if she would impose secondary sanctions against China, Ms. Clinton said, “I would certainly tell the Chinese I was unless they were going to help us to try to get the Iranians to open the Strait of Hormuz and try to go back at least to the status quo ante.” On August 20, U.S. President Donald Trump had said he would go for what he called the “most crushing economic operation” against Iran if Tehran failed to strike a deal.
Published – August 26, 2026 04:57 pm IST
