Trump: China, Russia Have ‘Too Much to Lose’ Helping Iran
President Donald Trump pushed back hard Monday night against claims that China and Russia are quietly propping up Iran, declaring that neither Moscow nor Beijing is helping Tehran “at all” — because both have “too much to lose.”
“We Would Know About It Very Fast”
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said he had seen comments from critics and opponents suggesting the two powers were aiding Iran behind the scenes. “If they are, it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all. They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast,” he wrote. The confidence reflects Trump’s faith in American intelligence — and his belief that US leverage over both countries is working exactly as intended.
A Warning That Carried Weight
This was not the first time Trump laid down the marker. Back in July, he said he trusted China and Russia not to help Tehran in the Iran war — while warning that if they did get involved, it would be “very bad for them.” The warning was repeated directly last month when Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Washington: Trump cautioned Xi against supporting Iran, and the US ambassador to China later said Beijing gave assurances it would not do so. In Trump’s telling, the sequence is proof that firmness produces results where previous administrations got excuses.
Neutral Powers, Isolated Tehran
Trump has previously described both Xi and Putin as “neutral” in the Iran conflict — a remarkable characterization given Moscow and Beijing’s traditionally close ties with Tehran. Russia has warned the Iran war could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, while Beijing has condemned US strikes as a violation of Iranian sovereignty. Yet neither has crossed Trump’s red lines, and the president is happy to take the credit. The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28, when the US and Israel struck Iran and Tehran answered with attacks on Israel and Gulf states hosting American bases. Keeping the world’s two other great powers on the sidelines of that war is, in Trump’s framing, a strategic victory few thought possible.
Dismissing the Doubters
The president’s confidence extends to brushing off intelligence chatter. In September he dismissed a report that Iran had acquired satellite imagery of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before an attack that killed three US troops in July. Reports have also suggested China supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers and helped Tehran evade sanctions on its oil sales. Trump treats such claims as background noise against the bigger picture: America’s adversaries understand the consequences of crossing him, and they are acting accordingly.
Whether critics accept Trump’s assessment or not, the president’s message is that deterrence is doing its job — China and Russia are staying out, Iran stands increasingly alone, and US strength is the reason why.
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