Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence to help target US forces in the Middle East, including the locations of American warships and aircraft, according to US officials cited by The Washington Post on Friday, March 6.
Three officials familiar with the intelligence said Moscow had passed Tehran information on US military assets since the start of the conflict last weekend. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“It does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort,” one of the officials told the newspaper.
The reported intelligence sharing would mark the first indication that another major US adversary is indirectly participating in the expanding conflict between Iran and US-backed forces in the region.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. Moscow has previously called for an end to the fighting, describing it as an “unprovoked act of armed aggression.”
The scale of Russia’s assistance remains unclear, though officials said Iran’s own ability to track US forces has been degraded during the early stages of the war.
The conflict escalated after US and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 targeted Iranian military and nuclear facilities, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior commanders.
Tehran has since launched hundreds of missiles and thousands of drones at US positions, embassies and US-friendly targets across the Middle East. A drone strike in Kuwait on Sunday killed six American service members and wounded several others, according to US officials.
Analysts say Russia’s satellite and intelligence capabilities could significantly improve Iran’s ability to strike specific military targets.
Iran possesses only a limited number of military-grade satellites, meaning access to Russian space-based intelligence could help Tehran identify radar systems, command centers and other strategic infrastructure, experts told the newspaper.
The reported cooperation reflects the growing military relationship between Moscow and Tehran since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
During the war, Iran has supplied Russia with technology and components used to produce Shahed-type attack drones, which Moscow has repeatedly deployed against Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
Analysts say Moscow may also see strategic benefits in the escalating conflict, which could drive up global oil prices and divert Western attention away from the war in Ukraine.