President Donald Trump said late Monday that he did not believe Russia or China are helping Iran, pushing back at unnamed critics three days after he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to supply diesel fuel to the United States.
"I see so many comments from the Radical Left Morons and Lunatics that China and Russia are helping the 'wonderful' Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "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!"
No public response from China, Russia or Iran had emerged by early Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Russia was providing “satellite imagery and improved drone technology to aid Tehran’s targeting of U.S. forces in the region.” The Journal also reported as recently as September that China sent Iran's Defense Ministry about 1,300 air shipments of “dual use” parts that could be used for drone and missile production through the end of June. China is also Iran's main oil customer.
In May, Trump said Xi had "promised me that he's not sending any weapons to Iran." Trump has posted about receiving similar assurances from Putin as well.
In March, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of possible arms help that "there were no requests from the Iranian side."
Trump's Oct. 9 announcement said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. immediately, 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons after that. Another 3 million tons would depend on the condition of Russian refineries.
The deal marked a striking departure from U.S. policy toward Russia, spurred by domestic concerns about rising fuel prices. Less than a month earlier, Trump signed a Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, which would allow the U.S. to impose major tariffs against the largest customers of Russian oil and gas.
By Monday, the U.S. average retail diesel price was $6.27 a gallon, according to AAA, up from $3.73 in late February, shortly before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
The post named no specific critics. But public criticisms of Trump’s war in Iran and of his recent deal with Russia have come from figures on both the left and right, including from some Trump allies.
Some of these critics have tied their objections to the diesel fuel deal to Iran. Right-wing activist and Trump supporter Laura Loomer wrote on X that the arrangement would put "money back into the coffers of the Islamic regime of Iran." Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether the plan would put American lives at risk. "It absolutely will," he said, pointing to Russia's ties to Iran.
The post fits Trump's pattern of treating assurances from Xi and Putin as binding. During a White House event in July, Trump responded to a question about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s assessment that Russia and China were “enabling” Iran: “I will tell you that President Xi said he will not partake, and President Putin said the same thing. … I don't think they'd want to have me disappointed."