Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has dismissed China and Russia as non-factors in Washington’s decision-making when it comes to the war against Iran, AFP reports.

“I don’t have a message for them, and they’re not really a factor here, and our issue is not with them,” the US secretary of war told a press conference, adding that Washington’s focus was purely on ending what he called “the nuclear ambitions of Iran”.

Russia and China have longstanding diplomatic and trade ties with Iran, while Russia has close military links to the country. Both Moscow and Beijing have criticised the US-Israeli operations.