President Donald Trump pushed back against concerns that Russia and China have been helping Iran, dismissing the claims in a late-night Truth Social post as the work of “Radical Left Morons and Lunatics.”
But while the president projected confidence, his statement also included a notable caveat.
Writing on his social media platform shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday, Trump took direct aim at critics who have suggested that Moscow and Beijing are lending a hand to Tehran.
“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. “If they are, it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all.”
The president argued that both nations would be taking a serious risk by doing so.
“They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast!” he wrote, before signing off with his familiar closing: “Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The post arrives just days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin relayed Iran’s position on a potential peace deal during a phone call with Trump. Following that conversation, the president announced that the United States would purchase diesel fuel from Russia despite sanctions, a move aimed at bringing down prices.
That decision has drawn fire from both sides of the aisle, sparking bipartisan outrage.
The war in Iran has now stretched on for more than seven months and has claimed the lives of at least 21 American service members. The conflict began on Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran.
The war has proven unpopular with Americans at home and has weighed on Republicans in recent polling, creating a political headache for the GOP ahead of the midterms.
Trump, for his part, has repeatedly maintained that the conflict will come to an end after the upcoming midterm elections. He has also boasted on numerous occasions that Iran’s military has been destroyed.
However, reports have continued to surface suggesting that Iran has held on to its military capabilities, despite months of sustained attacks by the United States.
Last week, anonymous Western officials told Bloomberg that Iran still possesses plenty of ballistic missiles and is capable of quickly ramping up its stockpile, even after repeated bombing campaigns by the United States.
Those reports stand in contrast to the president’s repeated claims about the state of Iran’s military, and they raise fresh questions about the trajectory of a conflict that has already lasted well over half a year.
Meanwhile, the president’s latest comments make clear he is not buying the argument that Russia and China are playing a meaningful role in propping up Tehran. Even so, by acknowledging that any such help would be “at a very low level,” Trump left the door open to the possibility, while insisting the United States would detect it quickly if it were happening.
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