Russia is providing intelligence to Iran to help target American forces and assets in the Middle East, according to a report by The Washington Post, citing three officials familiar with the intelligence.
According to The Post, since the beginning of the war, Russia has bypassed Iran with the placement of US military assets, including US warships and aircraft operating in the region.
“It looks like a pretty comprehensive effort,” one official familiar with the intelligence told the reporter.
A widening conflict involving major powers
The reported intelligence sharing underscores the growing geopolitical stakes in the conflict, potentially drawing in one of Washington’s main nuclear-armed rivals.
According to the source, the development suggests that the widening war now presents “one of America’s main nuclear competitors with superior intelligence capabilities.”
The extent of Moscow’s assistance remains unclear, although officials told the newspaper that Iran’s own ability to locate US forces had already been reduced in the early days of the conflict.
The Kremlin refuses to comment
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the intelligence findings when contacted by The Post.
Russia has publicly called for an end to the war, calling the fighting an “unprovoked act of armed aggression”.
Iranian attacks on US positions
The conflict has already claimed American lives. Six US service members were killed and several others injured in a drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday.
Iran has launched thousands of one-way attack drones and hundreds of missiles targeting US military positions, embassies and civilians across the region.
At the same time, a joint US-Israeli campaign struck more than 2,000 Iranian targets, including ballistic missile sites, naval assets and leadership.
China is not involved, officials say
Two officials familiar with the intelligence services told The Post that China does not appear to be assisting Iran’s military operations, despite close political and economic ties between the two countries.
