The United States intelligence officials have stated that Russia may have provided Iran with information to target warships, aircraft, and other American facilities in the region.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, mentioned that American intelligence services have not confirmed that Russia is directing Iran on how to use the information. The United States, Israel, and Iran have been exchanging artillery fire against American interests in the Persian Gulf.
This is the first sign of Moscow’s willingness to get involved in the conflict that the United States and Israel initiated against Iran a week ago.
Russia is one of the few countries that maintain friendly relations with Tehran, which has been isolated for years due to its nuclear program and support for armed groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.
The White House has downplayed reports of Russia sharing intelligence with Iran regarding American targets in the region.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told journalists on Friday: “This changes absolutely nothing about military operations in Iran, as we completely anticipate them.”
Asked about reports of Russia assisting Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Friday that the United States “monitor everything” and incorporate this information into their battle plans.
“The American people can rest assured that their commander in chief is fully aware of who is talking to whom,” he stated. “And anything that should not happen, whether publicly or surreptitiously, is firmly denounced.”
Karoline Leavitt refused to say whether Donald Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about this sharing of information or if he believed Russia should face sanctions, indicating that she would let the president speak for himself on the matter.
When asked about the possibility of Russia going beyond political support and providing military assistance to Iran, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that no such request had been made by Tehran.
“We are in dialogue with the Iranian side, with representatives of Iranian leaders, and we will certainly continue this dialogue,” he asserted on Friday.
Pressed on whether Moscow had provided any military or intelligence assistance to Tehran since the start of the war in Iran, he refrained from commenting.
Russia has strengthened its ties with Iran, as the latter is in need of missiles and drones for its large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Biden administration declassified intelligence reports showing that Iran has provided attack drones to Moscow and helped the Kremlin build a drone manufacturing facility.
The previous American administration also accused Iran of transferring short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Details about American intelligence reports were first revealed by the Washington Post.
Asked whether these revelations had undermined Trump’s confidence in Putin’s ability to broker a peace deal in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Leavitt said, “I think the president would say that peace remains an achievable goal in this conflict.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the United States and its allies in the Middle East were seeking Ukraine’s expertise to counter Iranian Shahed drones.
Tehran provided Russia with Shahed drones for its war against Ukraine and is now using them in retaliatory attacks across the Gulf.
Zelensky mentioned discussing potential cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.
“Ukraine knows how to defend against Shahed drone attacks because our cities face them almost every night,” said Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanichyna. “When our partners are in need, we are always ready to help.”
