On Saturday (April 11), US President Trump warned that if China delivered weapons to Iran, it would stir up big trouble.
President Trump made the remarks to the media on Saturday as he was leaving the White House to head to Florida. In the nearly 40-day conflict with Iran, the US and its ally Israel have dealt a heavy blow to Iran’s air defense systems, securing air superiority over Iran in the early stages of the conflict.
When asked about reports of China preparing to deliver weapons to Iran, Trump replied, “If China does that, China will get into big trouble.”
Sources recently disclosed to CNN that US intelligence indicates China is preparing to deliver a new air defense system to Iran in the coming weeks. This intelligence highlights that Iran may be trying to replenish certain weapon systems with the help of foreign partners during the ceasefire.
Three informants told CNN that Beijing plans to transfer these supplies through a third country to conceal their true origin. These supplies reportedly include MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems), which pose a serious “asymmetric threat” to low-flying US military aircraft in the five-week conflict.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington strongly denied these reports and claimed that Beijing has never provided weapons to any side in the conflict.
In fact, on the second day of the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran (April 8), President Trump issued a warning saying, “Any country providing military weapons to Iran will have a 50% tariff imposed on all their goods exported to the US, effective immediately. No exceptions or exemptions!”
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated on Friday (April 10) that while US-China relations are currently stable, if China intervenes in Iranian affairs in a way that harms US interests, the situation will become complicated. China bears the responsibility to prevent such a situation.
President Trump is scheduled to visit China next month and meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. On Saturday, Trump did not disclose to the media what consequences Beijing might face if it provides weapons to Iran, or whether he would cancel his trip to China. Imposing a 50% tariff on Chinese goods, as threatened by Trump, could potentially disrupt the US-China trade truce agreement.
On April 7, the US and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire agreement and held face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday (April 11). Trump informed the media on Saturday that both the US and Iran are engaged in “very deep negotiations.”