Trump says he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran
Trump said any Chinese or Russian assistance to Iran would be minimal and quickly detected, while reiterating that both countries had too much at stake to provide support.
Washington, United States. President Donald Trump said late Monday that he did not believe Russia or China was assisting Iran. He argued that both countries would risk too much by supporting Tehran.
Trump rejects claims of assistance
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he had seen assertions by his opponents and critics that Beijing and Moscow were helping Iran.
“If they are, it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all. They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast,” Trump wrote.
His comments echoed remarks in July, when he expressed confidence that neither country would assist Tehran during the Iran war, while warning that involvement would have very negative consequences for them. Trump has also previously characterised Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as neutral in the conflict.
War and diplomatic positions
The war between the United States and Iran began on February 28, following attacks on Iran by US and Israeli forces. Tehran retaliated with strikes against Israel and Gulf countries hosting American bases. Thousands have subsequently been killed and millions displaced by US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Both Moscow and Beijing have close relations with Tehran. Russia has warned that the conflict could trigger a Middle Eastern race for nuclear weapons. China has denounced the US attacks as a flagrant breach of Iranian sovereignty.
Warnings to China and reports of support
During Xi’s visit to Washington last month, Trump warned the Chinese president not to support Iran. The US ambassador in China said at the time that Xi had assured Trump that Beijing would not provide such assistance.
That warning followed reports alleging that China had provided shoulder-fired air-defence missile launchers to Iran and helped Tehran circumvent sanctions affecting its oil exports.
In September, Trump dismissed a report alleging that Iranian authorities had obtained satellite imagery of a Jordanian base from Chinese entities before a July attack there that killed three American troops.
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