Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran attack American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, two officials familiar with US intelligence on the matter said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to comment publicly on the sensitive matter, cautioned that U.S. intelligence has not disclosed what Russia is directing Iran to do with the information as the U.S. and Israel continue their bombing campaign and as Iran fires retaliatory salvos at American assets and allies in the Persian Gulf.
Still, it was the first indication that Moscow was trying to get involved in the war launched by the US and Israel on Iran a week ago. Russia is in a rare club of countries with friendly relations with Tehran, facing years of isolation over its nuclear program and support for proxy groups that have wreaked havoc in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
Trump criticized the reporter for raising the issue Friday evening as he opened the floor to questions from the media at the end of a White House meeting about how student-athletes have redefined college sports.
“I have a lot of respect for you, you’ve always been very good to me,” Trump told Fox News reporter Peter Doocy. “What a stupid question to ask at this time. We’re talking about something else.”
White House officials played down the reports, but did not deny that Russia was sharing intelligence with Iran about US targets in the region. White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told reporters on Friday that “it clearly doesn’t make any difference as far as military operations in Iran are concerned because we are absolutely destroying them.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Friday that the U.S. is “tracking everything” and framing it as war plans when asked about reports that Russia is helping Iran.
“The American people can rest assured that their commander in chief is well aware of who is talking to whom,” he said. “And what shouldn’t happen, whether it’s public or back-channel, is being countered and countered forcefully.”
Leavitt declined to say whether Trump had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the reported intelligence sharing or whether he believed Russia would face consequences, saying he would let the president speak for himself.
Asked if Russia would offer military assistance to Iran beyond political support, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no such request from Tehran.
“We are in talks with the Iranian side with representatives of the Iranian leadership and will certainly continue this dialogue,” he said on Friday.
Iran has ruled out whether Moscow has provided any military or intelligence assistance to Tehran since the start of the war, refraining from comment.
Russia has tightened its ties with Iran as it seeks badly needed missiles and drones to use in its four-year war against Ukraine.
The Biden administration has classified intelligence findings showing that Iran supplied attack drones to Moscow and helped the Kremlin build a drone-making factory.
The previous US administration accused Iran of transferring short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Details about US intelligence were first reported by The Washington Post.
Asked if the revelations shake Trump’s faith in Putin’s ability to cut any peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war, Leavitt said, “The president says peace is still an achievable goal with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war.”
Meanwhile, the United States and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise to counter Iran’s Shahed drones, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Tehran has been supplying Russia with martyrs for its war against Ukraine and is now using them in revenge attacks across the Gulf.
Zelensky says he has spoken to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation.
“Ukraine knows how to protect itself from Shahed drone attacks because our cities face them every night,” said Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanyshina. “When our partners are in need, we are always ready to help.”
Trump, who has struggled to fulfill a campaign pledge to end the Russia-Ukraine war, has had an up-and-down relationship with Zelensky. He often pressures the Ukrainian leader to heed Russian demands that Kiev accept Ukrainian territory still under its control.
As the Pentagon faces questions about whether the Iran war is depleting US stockpiles, Trump grumbled this week that former President Joe Biden provided billions in high-end weapons to Ukraine and failed to replenish US stockpiles.
(AP with France 24)
(tags to translate)Middle East
