US President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have assured him that their countries will not provide weapons to Iran amid the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran. Trump said he trusted the commitments made by both leaders but warned that any military assistance to Iran would lead to serious consequences.
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Trump posted on his Truth Social account that Xi gave a clear assurance, "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, I am doing him very big favours, also," he added.
The US President also said Putin had given a similar commitment that Russia would not supply weapons to Iran. "Likewise, President Putin, despite the horrible war going on in Ukraine (The relationship remains, as it does with President Zelenskyy), told me that he would not sell weapons to Iran. He understands that I do not sell weapons to Ukraine, but to NATO countries," he wrote.
Trump said both China and Russia were currently "not participating" in providing military assistance to Iran and said he was choosing to trust the assurances given by Xi and Putin. He added that he believed neither leader wanted to damage relations with Washington, particularly as the US was involved in major diplomatic and economic engagements with both countries.
However, Trump issued a warning to Beijing and Moscow, saying that any decision to violate their commitments and support Iran militarily would result in a "very bad" outcome and would not serve their interests. The warning was also posted on his Truth Social platform.
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A further post read: "They pay full price, and how those weapons are distributed, I have no idea. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
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