Trump says he does not believe Russia and China are helping Iran as they have ‘too much to lose’

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump dismissed concerns that Russia and China might be helping Iran in its war with the US, adding that the two countries would have “too much to lose” in aiding the Islamic Republic. 

“If they are, it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all,” Trump said in a late Monday (Oct 12) post on Truth Social. He added that the US would know about such assistance “very fast”.

China and Russia have maintained close ties with Iran for decades but have denied providing arms assistance to Teheran in its conflict with the US that began in late February. There have, however, been reports of military cooperation.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Chinese entities shipped components used in Iran’s drones and missiles, while US officials linked satellite imagery obtained from Chinese sources to an Iranian strike that killed three American troops.

Beijing said it abides by international rules and opposes attempts to associate China with the conflict, the paper said.

Western allies believe Iran has most likely added newly-manufactured Russian weapons to its inventory and reconstituted large swathes of its missile arsenal during a ceasefire with the US a few months ago, Bloomberg News reported in June. BLOOMBERG