China has been quietly pressing Iran to stay engaged with diplomacy even as President Donald Trump says he received assurances from Chinese President Xi Jinping on a key US concern, according to an Israel Hayom report published Wednesday.

The report said three regional diplomatic sources described Beijing as working behind the scenes in contacts involving Tehran, while Trump pointed to Chinese assurances that Beijing was not supplying Iran with weapons.

The sources said China was involved in “secret talks” with Iran and was warning Tehran not to harden its position to the point of closing off diplomacy. The report did not indicate that China had become a formal mediator, but suggest Beijing is using its leverage with Iran at a sensitive moment in the standoff with Washington.