Trump says China and Russia are not helping Iran 'at all' in its war with US

Trump's denial on Truth Social

Donald Trump said late on Monday, 12 October 2026, that he did not believe China and Russia were helping Iran 'at all'. He posted on Truth Social after seeing comments from critics and opponents claiming the two powers were backing Tehran. In the post he said any such help would be at a 'very low level' and that Moscow and Beijing had too much to lose by enabling the Islamic Republic. The post was his latest word on the question, and he had already said in July that he trusted both countries not to help Tehran.

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.

Criticism of the Russia diesel deal

The post came against criticism of Trump's agreement with Russia on diesel supplies. Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist and influencer who supports Trump, wrote on X that buying Russian oil financially supports Iran's Islamic regime, which chants 'death to America'. Loomer had criticised US support for Ukraine for years, but this year she visited Kyiv and changed her position. Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal called the diesel arrangement a poorly disguised attempt to ease the chaos caused by what he described as Trump's illegal war in Iran. He said it would benefit only the economies of China and Russia and lead to more deaths of innocent people in Ukraine.

The war and the two capitals

The United States and Iran have been at war since 28 February 2026, when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and on Gulf states that host US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. Trump has described Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as 'neutral' during the war. Moscow and Beijing maintain close ties with Tehran, and Russia has said the war could lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Beijing has condemned Washington's attacks on Tehran as a brazen violation of Iran's sovereignty. The Middle East Institute think tank stresses that China and Russia have long supported Iran's economy and given the regime access to military technology and equipment.

Earlier warnings and reports

In September 2026, Trump warned Xi against supporting Iran during the Chinese leader's visit to Washington and received assurances that China would not do so, the US ambassador to China said at the time. That warning came amid reports that China had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers and that Tehran had evaded sanctions on its oil sales with Chinese help. In the same month Trump brushed aside a report that Iran acquired satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before an attack that killed three US troops there in July. In July he said he trusted China and Russia not to help Tehran in the Iran war, but warned that if they did get involved, 'it would be very bad for them'.