President Trump said he did not believe China or Russia were taking part in the Iran conflict, while warning that their involvement would be “very bad” for them. His comments matter because direct military support from either power could widen the war beyond its current participants and intensify tensions between major powers.

Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him China would neither provide nor sell weapons to Iran, including through Chinese companies. He also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a similar assurance, despite Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine; the claims appeared to rest on Trump’s account of his conversations with the two leaders.