OHIO: US President Donald Trump said that the United States “might have gone too far” in targeting Iran’s leadership.

“We might have gone too far with the leaders because we don’t know who the hell we’re dealing with any more,” he said during a campaign rally in Ohio, according to Middle East Eye.

“Nobody wants to be the president of Iran,” he added, claiming that potential candidates did not want to take up the position. Trump made this remark despite Masoud Pezeshkian being Iran’s president since July 2024.

“We’re having a hard time figuring out who the hell to deal with, to be honest with you. I think we went too far,” the US president said.

Trump says he doesn’t believe China, Russia are helping Iran

Meanwhile, Trump said on Monday that he does not believe that China and Russia are helping Iran, adding that they have “too much to lose.”

Trump has faced pressure over reports that Chinese and Russian entities have supplied Iran with intelligence for attacks on US troops.

Responding to comments that China and Russia are helping Iran, Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “If they are, it’s at a very low level, but I don’t believe they are at all. They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast!”

Trump said in July that he did not believe China and Russia were selling weapons to Iran, warning that “it would be very bad for them” if they did.

China and Russia both maintain strong ties with Iran but have refrained from getting directly involved in the Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

Since the outbreak of the war, Russia has sent humanitarian aid to Iran, but has otherwise not officially announced any concrete assistance.

The Kremlin has denied US media reports claiming that Moscow passed sensitive intelligence to Iran, including the locations of US warships and aircraft in the region.

China has sharply condemned US and Israeli strikes while also criticising Iranian attacks on Gulf states and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz.

China has previously supplied Iran with drones as well as equipment that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

Beijing has denied reports that the country’s top semiconductor firm, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, has sent chipmaking tools to Iran.

China and Russia have also been accused of helping Iran circumvent international sanctions targeting its oil sales.

Trump has frequently taken a more deferential tone toward Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin than he has toward some of Washington’s own allies, saying that they must be respected as the leaders of major world powers.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2026