President Trump says that Xi and Putin both promised to abstain from arms sales to Iran
President Trump this week said that Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin have given him their word that they would not give or sell arms to Iran.
by Summer Lane | July 24, 2026
President Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised not to sell arms to Iran amid the ongoing war.
“President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran — And that statement included Chinese Companies,” the president said.
He continued, “Considering our relationship, I take him at his word and, besides, l am doing him very big favors, also.”
The president said that Russian President Vladimir Putin also promised that he would not sell weapons to Iran.
“He understands that I do not sell Weapons to Ukraine, but to NATO Countries,” the president said. “They pay full price, and how those Weapons are distributed, I have no idea. Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests.”
President Trump’s statement on the matter may quell some domestic fears about Chinese or Russian ambitions amid a turbulent war in the Middle East.
According to a report from The New York Times earlier this spring, Chinese companies may have been discussing arms sales with Iran. This report was published just before President Trump’s high-profile visit to Beijing, where he discussed the issue with Xi.
As it pertains to Russia, there has been no concrete evidence to suggest that the country has been supplying arms to Iran, although theories abound.
“Iran doesn’t have great space-based capability, unlike Russia,” Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at the Centre of International Research at Sciences Po in Paris, told Middle East outlet Al Jazeera in July. “Compared to Russia, Iran doesn’t have enough military-grade satellites for basic stuff… it seems likely that they struck some of the deal with the Russians.”
However, President Trump’s statement on Friday clearly refutes such theories.
Photo: Adobe Stock
