"We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn’t very nice. A gift from China perhaps, I don’t know, but I was a little surprised," Trump said during an interview with CNBC.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday during an interview with CNBC that the US found "a gift from China" in one of the ships seized from the Iranian regime that was trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz towards Iran, amid the American blockade of Iranian ports.
"We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn’t very nice. A gift from China perhaps, I don’t know, but I was a little surprised," Trump said during his interview with CNBC.
According to an additional Bloomberg report, the White House did not respond to requests for comment on Trump's interview.
Additionally, the Chinese embassy in Washington told Bloomberg that China's exports of military products are handled "prudently and responsibly, with strict controls on the export of dual-use articles.”
Bloomberg noted that both Russia and China aided Iran during the last war, with Moscow providing intelligence and targets while Beijing's role was not as clear.
A recent report from The Financial Times revealed that Iran secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite, giving the Islamic Republic a new capability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war.
The TEE-01B satellite, built and launched by the Chinese company Earth Eye Co, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force in late 2024 after it was launched into space from China, the report said, citing leaked Iranian military documents.
China aims to provide new air defense systems to Iran
A CNN report from earlier this month revealed that, according to a US intelligence assessment, China was planning to replenish Iran's air defense systems, even amid the threat of tariffs issued by Trump.
The CNN report noted that Beijing was preparing to transfer shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile systems known as MANPADs.
These systems pose an asymmetric threat to low-flying US military aircraft – as demonstrated during the five-week war – and they could continue to do so if the ceasefire breaks down.
Trump warned, days after signing the ceasefire with Iran, that any country planning to send military aid to Iran would face a "50% tarif on all commerce with the United States."