Trump downplays report China entities helped Iran before attack that killed US troops
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Sep 13) brushed aside a report that Iran acquired satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before an attack that killed three US troops there in July.
A recent report in the Wall Street Journal cited unnamed US officials about the attack in Jordan.
Asked whether he would mention the issue at an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump did not directly answer, and instead equated the surveillance activities of China and the United States.
"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."
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
The Chinese and US presidents are expected to meet in the United States on Sep 24, although China has yet to officially confirm that the meeting will take place.
Trump on Sunday reiterated his view that he has a good relationship with Xi.
"I think he's behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well," Trump said as he flew back to the United States after a weekend trip to Ireland.
The Wall Street Journal report, which Reuters could not immediately verify, said the US officials declined to identify the Chinese entities that supplied the imagery to Iran and did not allege direct involvement by Beijing.
Trump's comments appeared consistent with the administration's recent efforts to play down wide-ranging tensions between Washington and Beijing, despite US frustration over Beijing's close ties to Tehran.
At least 18 US service personnel have been killed since the US-Israeli war with Iran began at the end of February.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Newsletter
Morning Brief
Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief
An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app