Trump Dismisses Speculation on Chinese and Russian Aid to Iran, Citing Major Geopolitical Risks

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) — President Donald Trump said late on Monday that he does not believe China or Russia is assisting Iran “at all,” asserting that both Moscow and Beijing have too much to lose if they enable Tehran.

On Truth Social, Trump addressed comments from critics and opponents suggesting that China and Russia were secretly 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,” Trump wrote.

Trump noted that in July, he trusted China and Russia not to intervene in the Iran war, but warned that any direct involvement “would be very bad for them.”

The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28, when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases. Subsequent US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have since killed thousands and displaced millions.

Trump has previously described Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as “neutral” during the ongoing conflict.

While Moscow and Beijing maintain close ties with Tehran, Russia has warned that the conflict could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Beijing has condemned Washington’s attacks on Tehran as a brazen violation of Iran’s sovereignty.

Last month, Trump warned Xi against providing support to Iran during the Chinese leader’s visit to Washington, receiving assurances that China would not do so, the US ambassador to China stated at the time.

The warning came amid reports that China had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers and that Tehran had found ways to evade sanctions on its oil sales with Chinese assistance.

In September, Trump brushed aside a report that Iran acquired satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before an attack that killed three US troops there in July.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Lincoln Feast.)

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