Donald Trump rejects claims that Russia and China are aiding Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed claims that China and Russia are assisting Iran, stating that both powers would face excessive risks if they decided to support Tehran in the ongoing conflict.

Writing on Truth Social late Monday, Trump pushed back against remarks from his political opponents and critics who have argued that Beijing and Moscow are bolstering the Iranian government. Trump stated that if any assistance exists, it would be occurring only at a very minimal scale, though he personally doubts it is taking place. He argued that both nations have too much at stake and warned that Washington would discover any such involvement very quickly.

The remarks follow earlier statements in July, when Trump noted that he trusted Russia and China to stay out of the war, while cautioning that intervention would carry severe consequences for them. Trump has also previously characterized Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as maintaining neutrality in the conflict.

The war between the United States and Iran began on February 28 following joint military strikes by Washington and Israel against Iranian targets. Tehran countered by targeting Israel as well as Gulf nations hosting American military installations. The subsequent campaign of U.S. and Israeli air assaults on Iran, alongside Israeli operations in Lebanon, has resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people across the region.

Both Beijing and Moscow have sustained close diplomatic and economic relationships with Tehran. Russia has publicly expressed concern that the current fighting could trigger a regional nuclear arms race, while China has denounced American military strikes as an outright violation of Iranian sovereignty.

Trump previously addressed the issue directly with Xi during the Chinese leader's visit to Washington last month. According to the U.S. ambassador to China, the American president cautioned Xi against aiding Iran and secured commitments that Beijing would refrain from doing so. That exchange occurred following reports alleging that China had delivered shoulder-launched air defense systems to Tehran and assisted the country in circumventing petroleum sanctions.

Additionally, Trump downplayed intelligence findings in September concerning allegations that Iranian forces obtained satellite imagery of a military outpost in Jordan from Chinese firms ahead of a July assault that left three American service members dead.