Trump warns China, Russia against Iran war involvement
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- Trump posted on Truth Social that he does not believe China or Russia are "participating" in the Iran conflict but warned involvement "would be very bad for them" and "certainly not in their best interests."
- Xi Jinping told Trump at a recent Beijing meeting that China would not "under any circumstances" sell weapons to Iran, a pledge Trump said explicitly extends to Chinese companies.
- Putin separately told Trump that Russia would not sell weapons to Iran, according to Trump's account, though the Kremlin declined to comment on Thursday on a separate report about Russian assistance.
- US intelligence officials are investigating whether Russia provided Iran with targeting information or drone technology after Iranian strikes hit CIA targets in the Gulf earlier in the war, according to four people familiar with the matter.
- The United States and Iran have been at war since the US and Israel launched strikes in February that killed senior Iranian officials, including the country's supreme leader.
- The United States has already sanctioned individuals and companies in both Russia and China for helping Iran acquire weapons, establishing a prior enforcement record that frames Trump's latest warning.
- The Kremlin declined to comment on the intelligence report about Russian assistance to Iran, leaving Trump's account of Putin's pledge unconfirmed by Moscow.
Why it matters: Trump's public warning comes as US sanctions have already targeted Russia- and China-linked entities for helping Iran buy weapons, and as four people familiar with US intelligence say the government is actively investigating whether Russia shared targeting data with Iran — making Trump's framing of both powers as cooperative partners contrast sharply with reported evidence of Russian involvement.
