Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence intended to help it target U.S. forces in the Middle East, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing three people familiar with the matter. The report marks the first indication that another U.S. adversary may be indirectly involved in the fighting.
According to the newspaper, since the war erupted Saturday, Russia has supplied Iran with information on the locations of U.S. military targets, including warships and aircraft.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin
(Photo: Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP)
“It does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort,” one of the sources said of Moscow’s intelligence assistance to Iran’s ruling clerical establishment.
The Post said the full extent of Russia’s support for Iran’s strike efforts remains unclear. The sources said that since the start of the war, Iran’s military capabilities to independently track the locations of U.S. forces have been degraded.
The Russian Embassy did not respond to requests for comment on the report, the newspaper said.
On Sunday, six U.S. soldiers were killed in an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait. Since the start of the war, Iran has launched thousands of drones and hundreds of missiles targeting U.S. troops, diplomatic facilities and civilians.
Over the past week, Israel and the United States have struck more than 2,000 Iranian targets, according to officials.
The sources cited by The Washington Post also said that, unlike Russia, China has not been assisting Iran’s war effort despite close ties between the two countries.