Donald Trump posted late Monday that Russia and China are helping Iran "not at all." His own State Department sanctioned three Chinese satellite firms five months ago over pictures of American bases that Iran used to aim its strikes. And Volodymyr Zelensky said in March, and Narativ reported on March 30, that Russian satellites imaged an American base in Saudi Arabia three times in six days before Iran struck it.
The post went up on Truth Social. "If they are, it's at a very low level, but I don't believe they are at all," Trump wrote of the "Radical Left Morons and Lunatics" saying otherwise. "They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast!"
They did know about it. On May 8 the State Department designated Chang Guang Satellite Technology, MizarVision and The Earth Eye under the Iran arms-sanctions order. Its fact sheet says Chang Guang "collected satellite imagery of U.S. and allied military facilities to support Iranian imagery requests during Operation Epic Fury" and The Earth Eye "provided satellite imagery to Iran" in the same war. The department's reason, in its own words: "The supply of satellite imagery of U.S. facilities in the Middle East to Iran threatens American and partner personnel."
Pete Hegseth said it too, to the Senate, in July. Asked at an Appropriations hearing whether Russia and China were helping Iran, the Defense Secretary called it "definitely adversary alignment" and said both countries were, "at different levels, enabling some of the things Iran is doing." How deep it goes, he said, should stay classified. Days later Trump told a Fox News reporter: "I don't know that they're enabling… I trust them… it's not been major."
In July it was "it's not been major." On Monday night it was "not at all." Between the two, the evidence grew and the denial shrank. The Russian part comes with dates.
