Russia shared intelligence about US military positions with Iran amid war, US officials say

Russia has supplied intelligence about U.S. military assets in the Middle East to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing unnamed U.S. officials. Moscow, which maintains close ties with Tehran, reportedly provided information on the locations of American aircraft and warships in the region.

While not denying the report, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed its implications.

“It clearly is not making a difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them,” Leavitt stated. “We are achieving the military objectives of this operation and that is going to continue.”

The Russian government has condemned the U.S. and Israeli military offensive against Iran, which began last Saturday (28 Feb) and includes the elimination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with 40 top Iranian officials.

The Iranian regime has fired a large number of missiles and drones at Israel, U.S. bases across the Middle East, as well as at Turkey, Azerbaijan, Cyprus and several Arab states.

At least six American soldiers were killed in an Iranian drone strike on a U.S. base in Kuwait last Sunday.

Tehran has also reportedly struck a CIA station in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Several U.S. radar sites in the Middle East have been targeted by Iranian attacks, according to CNN. A THAAD missile defense battery in Jordan and radar systems in the United Arab Emirates were also reportedly affected.

These incidents highlight the widening regional scope of the conflict as Iran targets U.S. and allied military infrastructure across the Middle East.

It remains unclear what role Russian intelligence may have played in Iran’s strikes on U.S. military assets in the region.

“The Russians are more than aware of the assistance that we’re giving the Ukrainians,” a U.S. source told the Washington Post. “I think they were very happy to try to get some payback,” the source added.

U.S. officials believe the intelligence sharing may reflect broader geopolitical tensions between Washington and Moscow stemming from the war in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Russia, China and Turkey called for an immediate end to the war.

Russia said the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was unlawful and called for a return to diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke this week with his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi about the ongoing conflict. Oman had previously hosted negotiations between Washington and Tehran before the war began last Saturday.

In January 2025, Russia and Iran signed a strategic partnership agreement. Russia has used Iranian-made drones in the war in Ukraine, while Moscow has supplied Tehran with advanced air defense systems and pledged to deliver advanced fighter jets. However, Russia has not deployed military assets to Iran during the current war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this week that Russia was “not really a factor” in the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Washington has asked Ukraine for assistance in countering Iranian drones in the region, citing Kyiv’s experience in responding to similar drone threats.

“The arrival of Ukrainian military personnel in the Persian Gulf is expected in the near future,” an unnamed source told Agence France-Presse, adding that ongoing talks will “determine how to make this happen” and that “right now everything is being decided.”