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U.S. President Donald Trump warned on July 24 that it would be “very bad” for China or Russia if either country were to provide weapons to Iran, saying he believes both governments have pledged not to do so.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him during their recent meeting in Beijing that China would neither supply nor sell weapons to Iran.
“President Xi, at 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. Considering our relationship, I take him at his word and, besides, l am doing him very big favors, also,” Trump wrote.
Trump also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had given similar assurances despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, and told him that Russia would not sell weapons to the Islamic Republic.
“He understands that I do not sell Weapons to Ukraine, but to NATO Countries. They pay full price, and how those Weapons are distributed, I have no idea,” Trump continued.
“Therefore, two major countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests,” he concluded.
Trump’s post was a clear warning. It indicates that the U.S. has intelligence on both China and Russia preparing to ship weapons to Iran.
Reports from earlier in the conflict suggested that China may have already supplied weapons to the Islamic Republic, mainly radars and man-portable air defense systems.
There have been no reports of similar deliveries by Russia. However, Moscow was accused of aiding Iran by providing intelligence, including satellite imagery, significantly improving the Islamic Republic’s ability to locate and hit targets. One recent report by Reuters went as far as claiming that the Iranians managed to hit CIA stations in the region thanks to information provided by the Russian side.
So far, there has been no hard evidence of Iran employing any Chinese or Russian-made weapon that was not already in its arsenal before the start of the conflict.
Nevertheless, even before the start of the conflict, the Islamic Republic is reported to have inked multiple arms deals with both countries, including fighter jets, helicopters, and missiles. Thus, the legal framework for any deliveries already exists, and the U.S. can’t likely do anything about it.
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