Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had personally assured him that Beijing would not arm Iran.
US President Donald Trump said he would be “quite disappointed” if China supplied weapons to Iran, responding to reports that Tehran could soon receive hundreds of Chinese-made shoulder-fired missiles. Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had personally assured him that Beijing would not arm Iran. The remarks come as reports claimed that Iran is expected to receive a shipment of up to 400 Chinese-manufactured shoulder-fired missiles within weeks.
“Well, that would be surprising. He (Xi) told me very strongly he wouldn’t partake, and he knows I’d be quite disappointed,” Trump said.
Intelligence assessments, first reported by CNN, suggested China was preparing to deliver new air defence systems to Iran as Tehran seeks to rebuild parts of its military capabilities with help from foreign partners.
Last week, Trump had warned both China and Russia against supplying weapons to Iran, while saying he believed assurances from Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin that neither country was currently providing military assistance to Tehran.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that, in his view, both nations were refraining from arms transfers to Iran.
“Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating,” he wrote, adding, “If they did, it would be very bad for them- Certainly not in their best interests.”
The comments come as Washington continues to examine whether Russian and Chinese intelligence networks have been assisting Tehran by providing targeting information following recent strikes on US military installations.