Trump says China and Russia not supplying weapons to Iran

President Donald Trump said on Friday, July 24, that he does not believe China or Russia are participating militarily in the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran, citing personal assurances from both leaders that they would not supply weapons to Tehran. In a social media post, Trump warned that any such involvement would be "very bad" for Beijing and Moscow and not in their best interests.

The president stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a recent meeting in Beijing, told him China would not under any circumstances give or sell weapons to Iran, a pledge Trump said he takes at his word. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin has provided similar assurances, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump noted his administration sells weapons to NATO countries, not directly to Ukraine, and said he has no control over how those allies distribute the arms.

These declarations come amid heightened tensions in a conflict that began in February following U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed senior Iranian officials, including the country's supreme leader. U.S. intelligence has previously investigated whether Russia assisted Iran with targeting information or drone technology,...