The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has questioned this Monday the allegations recently made by Ukraine, which claims that Russia would be supplying Iran with satellite images of American military positions in the Persian Gulf in the context of the war in the Middle East. Trump has indicated that he will raise the issue directly with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
"Well, we will see if that is true. I will ask Putin. We will find out. It hasn't had much impact because we have given them a good beating," he declared to reporters aboard the presidential plane, downplaying the possible scope of that alleged cooperation.
Next, the American leader brought up the relationship between Venezuela and Russia, recalling that "Venezuela had all the Russian equipment. How did that turn out? Not too well." With this example, he wanted to illustrate that Moscow's help does not guarantee the success of its allies.
In the same vein, Trump insisted that, although "maybe (the Russian authorities) are providing help," if it occurs, it is not having the desired effects. He pointed out that in Iran "they have no army, they have no air force, they have no navy, they have nothing, so it hasn't turned out well." He added that "I don't think they have been doing it, certainly not on a large scale and, if they have, it has had very little impact."
Trump's words come after the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, accused Moscow on Saturday of providing Iran with satellite images of American positions in the Persian Gulf, which would be used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to refine the accuracy of its attacks against the American military deployment in the area.
On the same day, Ukrainian forces carried out an attack against an Iranian freighter in the Caspian Sea, in which a sailor was killed. The authorities in Tehran have described the action as a "dangerous adventure" and have warned that it will not go unanswered.
When asked about his "patience" with Tehran, Trump stated that he has "all the time in the world," although he again emphasized that the Iranian coast has been "devastated." In his opinion, "the strait (of Hormuz) is in very good shape and right now we are talking. They wanted to talk. Their people said: 'please, do not drop bombs, do not shoot'," he stated, presenting Iran as the party interested in de-escalating tensions.
The U.S. president has reiterated, as on previous occasions, that it is the Iranian authorities who "requested a meeting." "They would not have requested the meeting if we were doing poorly (...) We will see what happens. There is a possibility that we will reach an agreement. If we had not done what we did, they would not even be talking to us," he concluded, leaving the door open for a possible negotiation.