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President Trump on Friday said he takes at face value testimony from the leaders of China and Russia that they are not providing weapons to Iran or otherwise “participating” in its war with the United States and Israel.
The president’s defense, issued in a statement on his social media site Truth Social, comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told lawmakers that Russia and China are “enabling 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,” Trump wrote, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Considering our relationship, I take him at his word and, besides, l am doing him very big favors, also. Likewise, President Putin … told me that he would not sell Weapons to Iran.”
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.”
Hegseth told lawmakers on Tuesday that Russia and China, “at different levels,” are “enabling what Iran is doing.”
Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said such information is classified.
“I’d rather not opine on specifics because that would divulge what we know, and I never want the adversary to know what I know, I just want to know it,” he said.
In March, CNN reported that unnamed U.S. officials said Russia is providing Iran with Russian satellite imagery to track the location and movement of American troops.
Reuters reported this week that Iranian strikes on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted U.S. intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia has provided targeting information or advanced drone technology to Iran.
Iran may also have used Chinese missiles and long-range early-warning radar during the war, sources told NBC News in May. Experts also say Chinese satellites have provided Iran with enhanced targeting data.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, pushed back on reporters asking if he had raised during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the issue of Russia sharing targeting intelligence.
“Who says they are?” he asked twice and suggested Hegseth was not specific in his accusations.
“Let’s imagine that were true. I certainly wouldn’t discuss it in the press,” he continued.
“Nothing that Iran is doing — nothing that anyone’s doing to help Iran is in any way increasing their ability to target Americans.”
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