Donald Trump warns it will be 'very bad' for Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin if China or Russia arm Iran

By ANDREW JEHRING, CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 23:15, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 23:17, 24 July 2026 Donald Trump has warned China and Russia it will go 'very bad for them' if they arm Iran. In a stern statement to America's two most powerful adversaries, the US leader said it is 'certainly not in their best interests' to do so. Mr Trump insisted both president Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin had assured him that they had not armed Iran and neither were 'participating' in the war. Western intelligence reports earlier this year claimed Russia had sent drones, food and medicine to Iran.  And China was believed to have considered shipping air defence systems to the country, US media reported. In a social media post yesterday, Mr Trump said: 'President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran.' He added: 'Likewise, president Putin, despite the horrible war going on in Ukraine, told me that he would not sell weapons to Iran.' He concluded: '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 Donald Trump holds a championship ring during an event to honor the 2025 World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday His comments came as the Islamic Republic executed over 100 people last month, including three women, as human rights groups warned the regime is ramping up repression. Tehran restarted capital punishment weeks into the war with the US and Israel in March to clamp down on protests. Over 50 have been killed for taking part in those demonstrations – the largest since the Mullahs came to power in 1979. Now experts fear hangings will ramp up after ceasefire proposals fell through.