US President Donald Trump said he has not yet made a decision regarding launching broader military strikes against Iran, noting that Tehran is now showing “greater seriousness” in its talks with Washington.
In response to a question from reporters in the Oval Office about whether he had made a decision following reports of a meeting with his advisors to discuss a wide range of military options, Trump said, “No, I haven’t made a decision yet. We’re talking to them now, and I think they’re becoming more serious every day.” He added, “That doesn’t mean we’re going to reach an agreement, but we’ll see what happens.”
In another context, Trump confirmed that he will not proceed with an agreement on a civilian nuclear program with Saudi Arabia unless Riyadh agrees to normalize its relations with Israel within the framework of the “Abraham Accords”.
In a related context, President Trump said he does not believe that China or Russia are “involved” in the ongoing Iranian conflict, but warned that their intervention “will have dire consequences for them.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “President Xi Jinping assured me during our recent meeting in Beijing that he will not supply or sell weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran under any circumstances, and that includes Chinese companies.”
He added that Putin also told him that he would not sell weapons to Iran, and that he believed that Russia and China were not involved in the Iranian conflict.
He continued, “If they did that, it would be very bad for them, and certainly not in their best interest.” Speaking to reporters later at the White House, Trump said he trusted both leaders. He added, “I don’t know if they support [Iran] or not. I think I trust them.”
The United States and Iran are engaged in a war that began with the United States and Israel launching airstrikes on Iran at the end of February, which resulted in the deaths of senior Iranian officials, including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Four sources familiar with the matter said that Iranian attacks on CIA targets in the Gulf earlier in the war prompted U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate whether Russia was helping Iran obtain information on targets or drone technology.
The United States imposed sanctions on individuals and companies in Russia and China for allegedly helping Iran purchase weapons.
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