Trump Says Xi and Putin Both Pledged Him No Weapons for Iran
The U.S. president took both leaders at their word, noted his own favors to Beijing and the distinction he draws between arming Ukraine and arming NATO, and warned that any such sales would be very bad for them.
- Xi’s assurance, given in Beijing, extended to Chinese companies and not just state organs.
- Putin’s parallel pledge came despite the Ukraine war, which Trump frames as a matter of NATO resupply rather than direct U.S. arms to Kyiv.
- Trump closed with an open warning: if either did sell, it would be very bad for them and certainly not in their best interests.
Why it matters: The post is a unilateral declaration that the two powers most capable of arming Tehran have privately disowned the option, making any future appearance of their weapons in Iranian hands a test of those leaders' word, not just of U.S. intelligence.