‘They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast,’ US president says
US President Donald Trump speaks during a rally, ahead of the midterm elections, at The Mitchell Center at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, US, October 2, 2026. REUTERS
US President Donald Trump said Monday that he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran, arguing that both countries have too much to lose by doing so.
Responding to comments that Beijing and Moscow are assisting Tehran, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “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!” he added.
His remarks echo a July Truth Social post in which he said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him during their meeting in China in May that Beijing would not “under any circumstances” sell weapons to Iran, including through Chinese companies, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had also told him that he would not sell weapons to Iran.
At the time, Trump warned that if they did get involved, “it would be very bad for them.”
Read: Iran says reviewing US proposals for talks as indirect messages continue
In May, the Trump administration sanctioned several Chinese companies accused of supporting Iran’s military procurement network and providing satellite imagery that allegedly enabled Tehran to target US forces.
Beijing denies the allegations that Chinese entities aided Iran’s military.
The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks in the region and effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies.
A memorandum of understanding signed in June by the US and Iran following Pakistani and Qatari mediation has since stalled amid disagreements, including over navigation in the strait.
UK PM Burnham claims Iran’s IRGC likely behind RAF Fairford incident
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham claimed on Monday that a suspected plot targeting the RAF Fairford air base in Britain was “highly likely” to have been coordinated in Iran, and almost certainly directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The RAF Fairford base in southwest England, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, became the focal point for a major security response after five British men were arrested nearby in the early hours of September 27 on suspected terrorism and explosive offences.
Read More: US removes B-1 bombers from UK base amid security concerns
US officials have told Reuters that there had been a suspected plot involving Iran to launch a drone attack, and last week US President Donald Trump said a threat linked to Iran had prompted a decision to withdraw the bombers from the base.
“I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard,” Burnham told parliament.
Iran has rejected any connection with the Fairford incident.
“Tehran has had no involvement in this matter, and if the British government possesses any documents or evidence to support its claims, it should present them,” said Iran’s Ambassador to Britain, Seyed Ali Mousavi, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
Fairford plot details sketchy
Details around the suspected plot remain thin. The five detained men were later released without charge on police bail “under stringent conditions”, and two other arrested men, including a British-Iranian national, have also been released.
Detectives have said petrol but no viable explosive had been found in vans seized along with the five men. However, both police and Burnham have pointed towards the involvement of a foreign state.
British interior minister Shabana Mahmood told parliament a known individual, whom she did not name, who was based in Iran was believed to be behind what had happened.
“We will not tolerate these threats on our soil,” Burnham said. “We will crack down on Iran’s use of criminal networks, using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams, and we will bring further sanctions to restrict the capacity of Iran and the IRGC to do us harm.”
Also Read: UK examines foreign state involvement in airbase plot
Foreign ministries from almost 30 countries, including the US, Canada, France and Germany, issued a statement condemning “Iran’s use of violent attacks, including the acts of lethal plotting, arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks, and other hybrid activities against us and our partners”.
“The UK has also concluded this event demonstrates the IRGC’s continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors,” the statement said.
The British authorities have for several years pointed fingers at Iran for being involved in numerous plots and attempted assassinations in Britain using criminal networks and proxies, accusations Tehran has repeatedly denied.
Last year Britain alleged there had been 20 Iranian-backed threats to kill or kidnap individuals based in the UK.
In July, Britain used new powers to ban support for the IRGC and the group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), which had claimed responsibility for seven attacks earlier this year at locations linked to Jewish and Israeli communities, and Persian-language media.
British foreign minister Ed Miliband said he had summoned the Iranian ambassador while the ministry announced two Iranian nationals had been sanctioned.
The two men were Ruhollah Bazghandi, whom Britain claimed was the IRGC’s head of counterespionage operations, and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki, a facilitator for the already sanctioned Zindashti criminal network, which is accused of involvement in several plots against Iranian dissidents.
