US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin (Img: Pinterest)
Washington: US President Donald Trump said he believes his counterparts from China and Russia are not providing military support to Iran during the ongoing West Asia conflict.
Trump warned that any decision by the two countries to arm Tehran would be “extreme consequences” and against their own interests.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured him during their recent meeting in Beijing that China would neither supply nor sell weapons to Iran.
According to Trump, the assurance also applied to Chinese companies, which, he said, would not be allowed to provide military equipment to Tehran.
Trump said he trusted Xi’s commitment and believed Beijing was not supporting Iran militarily.
US President Trump also claimed that Russian counterparts Vladimir Putin had given him a similar assurance.
According to the US President, Putin told him that Russia would not sell weapons to Iran. Trump added that he believed Moscow was also staying out of the conflict.
Referring to both Russia and China, Trump said the two major powers were not participating in support of Iran and expressed confidence in their commitments.
While expressing trust in Xi and Putin, Trump cautioned that any military assistance to Iran would have serious consequences.
He said any involvement by Russia or China would not be in their best interests and described such a move as “very bad.”
Trump’s remarks came despite comments earlier this week by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told lawmakers that Russia and China were helping Iran at different levels.
Also Read: Donald Trump thanks India after Hyderabad names road in his honour; Here’s why
Hegseth did not disclose the nature of the alleged assistance but said both countries were enabling some of Iran’s activities.
The differing public statements highlight contrasting assessments within the US administration over the role of Moscow and Beijing.
