Trump maintains China and Russia stay out of Iran war, citing relationships with Xi and Putin

President Trump says he does not believe two of Iran’s strategic partners, China and Russia, are helping Tehran in its war against the United States.

Mr. Trump said that if either country helped Iran, it would be “very bad for them.”

The president cited his personal relationships and political actions to assert his belief that neither Chinese President Xi Jinping nor Russian President Vladimir Putin would act behind his back to help Iran.

“President Xi, during our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not under any circumstances give or sell weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran – and that statement included Chinese companies,” Mr. Trump said Friday on social media. “Given our relationship, I take him at his word and, what’s more, I also do him great favors.”

Mr. Trump said he also had a working relationship with Mr. Putin “despite the horrible war going on in Ukraine.”

Mr. Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“He understands that I am not selling weapons to Ukraine, but to NATO countries,” Mr. Trump said. “They pay a high price, and I have no idea how these weapons are distributed.

“Therefore, in my opinion, two major countries that are often talked about when talking about Iran are not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them – certainly not in their best interest.”

It is unclear what triggered Mr Trump’s message, but reports suggest that Russia and China may be providing Iran with intelligence on US military assets.

Iran recently managed to breach US defenses and strike a military base in Jordan, killing three US soldiers.