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Russia has shared targeting intelligence with Iran, including locations of American military assets in the Middle East, as Tehran unleashes a barrage of drone and missile strikes against the US and its allies, said people familiar with the matter.
The intelligence co-operation between two longstanding US foes widens a conflict that has drawn in more than a dozen countries in the Middle East and beyond since the US and Israel launched their war six days ago.
Two people confirmed Moscow had provided Tehran with intelligence on the location of US military assets in the region including planes and warships. A third confirmed the Kremlin’s broader intelligence sharing with the regime.
One of the people said US officials did not believe Iran used Russian intelligence in its attack on an American base in Kuwait, which killed six US service members.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, on Friday dismissed the reports that Russia was supplying intelligence to Iran that helped it target US assets, saying they would not affect the outcome of the war.
“It clearly is not making a difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them,” she said.
Russia and Iran have deepened their military co-operation in the years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Tehran has supplied the Kremlin with thousands of Shahed attack drones used to bombard Ukraine’s cities and critical infrastructure.
The two countries signed a strategic partnership treaty last year, pledging to deepen their economic and military co-operation.
Last July, soon after the US’s attack on three Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran requested thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles from Moscow. The allies struck a secret €500mn arms deal for 500 of the Verba launch units and 2,500 of the 9M336 missiles over three years starting in 2027.
The US military on Thursday said Iran’s ballistic missile attacks had decreased 90 per cent since the start of the war and its drone attacks by 83 per cent.
News of Russia’s intelligence sharing with Iran was first reported by The Washington Post.
The CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson, declined to comment.
Moscow’s support for Iran comes as the US has spearheaded efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The Trump administration has held off placing pressure on Moscow while brokering the talks. The US on Thursday also eased sanctions to allow India to buy more Russian oil.
Asked if Moscow’s involvement on Tehran’s side would hinder a peace deal with Kyiv, Leavitt said: “I think the president would say peace is still an achievable objective with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war. It’s something this administration still wants to see and something I know the president will continue to work on.”
The Pentagon said it would not comment on intelligence matters. US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the region, did not comment.
Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington and Max Seddon in Berlin