Trump says he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran “at all”
In a Truth Social post late Monday, President Trump rejected critics’ claims that Beijing and Moscow are aiding Tehran in the US–Iran war, saying any help would be “at a very low level” and that both powers “have too much to lose.”
US President Donald Trump said late on Monday, 12 October, that he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran “at all” in the ongoing war, Reuters reported, pushing back at opponents who argue otherwise.
What Trump wrote
On Truth Social, Trump said he had seen comments that China and Russia were aiding 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,” he wrote. In July he said he trusted Beijing and Moscow not to help Tehran, while warning that involvement “would be very bad for them.” He has previously called Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin “neutral” in the Iran war.
Background
The United States and Iran have been at war since 28 February, when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran struck Israel and Gulf hosts of US bases. Trump last month warned Xi against supporting Iran during a Washington visit and received assurances China would not do so, the US ambassador to China said at the time.
Media reports earlier this year alleged Russian targeting help and Chinese air-defence or satellite-related assistance; Trump in September brushed aside a report that Iran obtained satellite images of a Jordan base from Chinese entities before a July attack that killed three US troops. Moscow and Beijing maintain close ties with Tehran: Russia has warned of a possible Middle East nuclear arms race; China has condemned US attacks on Iran as violating sovereignty.
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