Trump Dismisses Report of Chinese Assistance to Iran Before Deadly Attack on US Troops

US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed a report alleging that Chinese entities provided Iran with satellite imagery of a Jordanian military base before an attack that killed three American troops in July.

The report, published by the Wall Street Journal, cited unidentified US officials familiar with the attack. When asked whether he planned to raise the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their anticipated meeting, Trump did not directly address the question. Instead, he compared Chinese and American intelligence-gathering activities.

“They basically do what we do,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “When they say China spies on us, I say you’re right, and we spy on them too.”

Trump and Xi are expected to meet in the United States on September 24, though Beijing has not officially confirmed the planned summit.

Trump Reaffirms Relationship With Xi

Trump also repeated his assessment that he maintains a positive relationship with Xi, saying he believes the Chinese leader has acted reasonably toward the United States.

“I think he’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,” Trump said while returning to the United States following his weekend visit to Ireland.

The Wall Street Journal report, which Reuters said it could not immediately independently verify, identified no specific Chinese entities allegedly involved in supplying the imagery. According to the report, US officials also did not accuse the Chinese government of directly participating in the attack.

Trump’s remarks appeared to align with the administration’s recent efforts to reduce the emphasis on tensions between Washington and Beijing, despite continuing American concerns about China’s close relationship with Tehran.