WASHINGTON — Two U.S. intelligence officials say Moscow has shared data with Tehran that could enable Iran to target American naval vessels, aircraft and other military resources throughout the region.
The sources, who requested anonymity due to the classified nature of the intelligence, emphasized that there’s no evidence Russia is instructing Iran on how to use this information.
This marks the initial sign that Russia may be getting involved in the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran that began a week ago. Moscow maintains one of the few remaining diplomatic relationships with Tehran, as Iran faces international isolation due to its nuclear activities and backing of regional militant organizations like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
The White House minimized concerns about Russia potentially sharing intelligence regarding U.S. targets in the area. During a Friday briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists that “it clearly is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them.”
When asked if President Trump had discussed the alleged intelligence sharing with Russian President Vladimir Putin or if Russia should face consequences, Leavitt declined to respond, stating she would allow the president to address those questions directly.
Regarding whether Russia might extend beyond diplomatic support to provide military aid to Iran, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated Tehran had made no such requests.
“We are in dialogue with the Iranian side, with representatives of the Iranian leadership, and will certainly continue this dialogue,” Peskov stated Friday.
When pressed about whether Moscow had supplied military or intelligence support to Tehran since the Iran conflict began, he chose not to comment.
Moscow has strengthened ties with Iran while seeking crucial missiles and drones for its ongoing four-year conflict in Ukraine.
The previous Biden administration released classified intelligence showing Iran provides Moscow with attack drones and has helped Russia establish a drone production facility.
The prior U.S. administration also claimed Iran had delivered short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine conflict.
The Washington Post initially reported details about this U.S. intelligence.
When asked if these revelations had affected Trump’s confidence in Putin’s capacity to negotiate peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Leavitt responded, “I think the president would say that peace is still an achievable objective with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war.”
