Kellogg: China Supplying Weapons to Iran, But No Major Threat
Former Trump official Keith Kellogg says Iran's military capabilities are severely degraded and pose minimal threat to U.S. forces despite receiving weapons from China, Russia and North Korea.
Keith Kellogg, who served as National Security Adviser and Special Envoy under President Trump, delivered the assessment during an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” programme on Thursday, as Breitbart News reports.
When asked by guest host David Asman whether Iran continues to receive weapons from China, Kellogg confirmed that Beijing remains a supplier to the Islamic Republic. He noted that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will address the issue in their discussions.
Iran maintains relationships with several nations willing to provide military support, including Russia, China, and North Korea, Kellogg acknowledged. However, he emphasised that Washington’s isolation strategy will continue to restrict Tehran’s access to necessary munitions.
Kinetic Capabilities Largely Exhausted
The former Trump official delivered a stark assessment of Iran’s current military readiness, stating that the regime has virtually nothing left in terms of kinetic strike capacity. When you look at kinetic strikes and the military, they don’t have anything really left, Kellogg observed.
While Iran retains the ability to launch occasional ballistic missiles or deploy drones, Kellogg dismissed these as significant threats. He expressed full confidence that American military forces are more than capable of handling such sporadic attacks.
Economic Pressure the Preferred Strategy
Rather than recommending direct military confrontation, Kellogg advocated for maintaining economic pressure on the Iranian regime. He suggested that allowing this financial squeeze to continue working represents the most effective approach to dealing with Tehran.
Asman had also mentioned the United Arab Emirates as one of the financial “enablers” supporting Iran before turning the discussion to China’s role as a weapons supplier.
The assessment comes as the Trump administration pursues a maximum pressure campaign against Iran whilst simultaneously engaging with Beijing on multiple fronts, including the issue of Chinese military support to adversarial regimes.
With information from Breitbart News
