President Donald Trump is heading into one of the most important international summits of his presidency under growing pressure — and now, critics say he’s arriving weakened, isolated, and empty-handed.

Just hours before Trump was expected to depart for a crucial meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Iran delivered a stunning diplomatic blow that instantly intensified fears of a major geopolitical humiliation for the White House.

According to reports, Iranian officials publicly signaled they are willing to support a peace framework for ending the war — but not Trump’s proposal.

Instead, Tehran reportedly endorsed a separate plan backed by China.

The development immediately raised alarms because Trump has spent weeks aggressively trying to broker a deal that could stabilize the increasingly dangerous conflict with Iran before facing Xi at the negotiating table.

So far, however, the administration has failed to secure an agreement.

Last week, the White House reportedly presented Iran with a new proposal aimed at ending the war and restarting negotiations. But Iranian officials responded Sunday with their own list of demands — demands Trump furiously rejected as “unacceptable.”

Then came Monday’s diplomatic twist.

Iranian Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced Tehran was prepared to support Xi Jinping’s “four-point plan” for achieving long-term security and stability in the Persian Gulf region.

While details of China’s proposal remain largely undisclosed publicly, the symbolic significance of Iran embracing Beijing’s framework instead of Washington’s immediately fueled speculation that China may now be positioning itself as the dominant diplomatic power in the crisis.

For Trump, the timing could hardly be worse.

Analysts had already warned that the president needed a breakthrough before arriving in Beijing because the summit is increasingly viewed as a critical turning point not only for U.S.-China relations, but for the future of the Iran conflict itself.

Some observers described the summit as a “de facto deadline” for stabilizing the war.

Now critics argue Trump may be arriving with dramatically weakened leverage.

Political analyst Charbel Antoun previously warned that failing to secure a deal before the summit could leave Trump negotiating from a position of weakness while China gains diplomatic momentum.

The situation also highlights growing global concern that Washington may be losing influence as the conflict drags deeper into its third month.

China, meanwhile, appears increasingly eager to present itself as an alternative power broker capable of managing crises the United States struggles to control.

That shift could have enormous consequences not only for the Middle East, but for the broader balance of global power.

Supporters of Trump insist the president remains committed to protecting American interests and argue Iran’s demands prove Tehran is negotiating dishonestly.

Critics, however, say the latest developments expose how isolated the White House may be becoming internationally.

Now all eyes are turning toward Beijing, where Trump and Xi are expected to meet under mounting global pressure, rising economic fears, and growing uncertainty about whether the Iran conflict is spiraling beyond Washington’s control.

And after Iran’s latest diplomatic move, the summit may suddenly carry even higher stakes than anyone expected.