US President Donald Trump on Friday warned China and Russia against getting involved in the war with Iran, saying any such move would be “very bad for them,” even as he said he did not believe either country was currently taking part in the conflict.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the message had been reinforced in his recent exchanges with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Private promises meet public warning

Trump wrote that Xi had told him at a meeting in Beijing that he would not, “under any circumstances,” give or sell weapons to Iran, adding that the assurance extended to Chinese companies as well.

He said Putin had also told him he would not sell weapons to Tehran. Trump used the same post to argue that any involvement by either power “would be very bad for them” and was “certainly not in their best interests.”

The affair grows decidedly more tangled

The warning comes against the backdrop of a wider US-Iran war that began after US and Israeli strikes in February, which killed senior Iranian officials, including Iran’s supreme leader.

Reuters also reported that four people familiar with US intelligence said Iranian strikes on CIA targets in the Gulf earlier in the war had prompted American intelligence to investigate whether Russia was helping Iran with targeting information or drone technology.

The Kremlin declined to comment on that report.

Is the real battle beyond the battlefield?

Trump’s comments also land at a time when Washington has already taken action against entities it says have helped Iran acquire weapons.

The United States has sanctioned individuals and companies in both Russia and China over such allegations.

Friday’s warning, therefore, added a fresh diplomatic layer to an already charged conflict while signaling that the White House is watching for any expansion of foreign involvement beyond the immediate battlefield.

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FAQs

Q1: Why did Donald Trump warn China and Russia over the Iran war?

Trump said any involvement by China or Russia in the Iran conflict would be “very bad for them” and not in their interests.

Q2: Did Trump say China and Russia are currently involved in the Iran war?

No, Trump said he does not believe either China or Russia is currently involved in the conflict.