President Donald Trump Says Putin Is Helping Iran Wage War Against U.S. and Israel

President Donald Trump told Fox News radio host Brian Kilmeade that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin "might be helping" Iran in its conflict with the United States and Israel, saying "I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah."

“President Donald Trump on Friday said he believed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is helping Iran in its war against the United States and Israel”

CNBC

The remark came during a Friday interview and follows wider media attention on reports alleging Russian assistance to Iran; CNBC reports Trump made the comment when Kilmeade asked, "You think Putin is helping them?"

CNBC

Trump framed the matter as reciprocal, adding "It's like, 'Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness.'"

The interview unfolded against a backdrop of prior exchanges and an earlier call between Trump and Putin; CNBC notes Trump had a call with Putin on Monday.

CNBC also reports the comments followed a week in which he "lashed out" at Fox News reporter Peter Doocy for asking about the same reports at the White House.

CNBC

That sequence places the radio remark in continuing public attention to the allegations and the White House's handling of questions about Russian ties to Iran.

U.S. officials quoted by CNBC provide a conflicting or uncertain picture: U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told the network that during Trump's call with Putin, "The Russians said they have not been sharing" intelligence with Iran.

“President Donald Trump on Friday said he believed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is helping Iran in its war against the United States and Israel”

CNBC

Witkoff added, "so, you know, we can take them at their word."

That statement highlights that, per CNBC's reporting, U.S. officials received denials from Russia even as public figures, including Trump, floated the possibility of Russian assistance to Iran.

Trump tied the allegation to broader geopolitical reciprocity, saying "I guess, and he probably thinks we're helping Ukraine, right?"

He repeated that both sides "do it."

CNBC

CNBC's report records Trump presenting the possibility of Russian aid to Iran as part of a mutual pattern of intelligence and influence activities among great powers, rather than as a one-sided intervention; based on the CNBC account, the evidence of actual Russian assistance remains contested in public statements.