Several media outlets have reported that according to American intelligence, Russia is providing Iran with information about the locations and movements of U.S. troops, vessels, and aircraft in the Middle East region. This marks the first sign of indirect Russian involvement in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.
The Washington Post was the first to break this news. Three officials familiar with the intelligence revealed that since last Saturday (February 28th) when the war broke out, Russia has provided Iran with information on the whereabouts of American military assets such as warships and aircraft.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on this matter to The Washington Post on Friday (March 6th). The CIA and the Pentagon declined to comment.
It remains unclear to what extent Russia has assisted Iran in locating U.S. military targets. Officials stated that less than a week into the war, Iran’s ability to locate American forces has already declined.
U.S. officials mentioned that while Russia’s intelligence collection capabilities may not match those of the U.S., they still rank among the world’s best.
Analysts noted that Russia’s intelligence sharing with Iran aligns with Iran’s targeting patterns against American forces. Iran’s targets include U.S. command and control infrastructure, radar systems, and temporary structures, such as a facility in Kuwait where six U.S. service members were killed.
Additionally, the CIA station inside the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, has faced attacks in recent days.
According to CNN, a source familiar with U.S. intelligence stated that most of the intelligence shared between Russia and Iran comes from images captured by Russia’s satellite constellation. It remains unclear what Russia has gained from this collaboration.
Two officials familiar with Russia’s support for Iran told The Washington Post that despite the close relationship between China and Iran, Beijing does not appear to be providing military aid to Iran.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated during an interview with NBC on Thursday (March 5th) that China and Russia are politically and in “other aspects” providing assistance to Iran, but he refused to disclose whether this includes military support.
Throughout the war in Ukraine, Iran has been one of Russia’s main supporters, sharing technology for manufacturing low-cost, one-way attack drones. These drones have been used repeatedly in the conflict in Ukraine.
The Washington Post previously reported that even though Russia’s closest ally Iran has been hit, the Kremlin believes that a prolonged war between the U.S. and Iran could bring some benefits to Russia, including higher oil revenue and diverting attention away from the severe crisis in the Ukraine conflict for the U.S. and Europe.
U.S. Secretary of War HagseS and U.S. Central Command Commander Brad Cooper held a press conference on Thursday to report on the progress of U.S. military operations in the first few days of combat.
HagseS stated that the U.S. military has dealt a devastating blow to the Iranian forces, weakening their crucial naval and missile capabilities, signaling a larger scale and more enduring military operation underway.
Commander Cooper of the U.S. Central Command stated, “We have sunk or destroyed more than thirty Iranian ships.”
In addition to causing heavy losses to Iran’s navy, sustained aerial operations by the U.S. have significantly weakened Iran’s ability to launch retaliatory attacks. U.S. bombers have targeted missile launch sites, command infrastructure, and air defense systems deep inside Iran, aiming to restrict Iran’s direct threats and future strike capabilities.
“Since the first day of the war, missile attacks by Iran have been reduced by 90%. Drone attacks have decreased by 83%,” said Cooper.