WASHINGTON — Russia is providing intelligence to Iran on the location of U.S. forces in the Middle East, a boost for Tehran as it launches missile and drone attacks on American bases and other targets in the region, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter.
The intelligence assistance from Russia could help Iran locate American warships, radar or other communication systems, but there is no indication Moscow is helping direct Iranian missile or drone strikes, the sources said.
Iran began firing missiles and drones at U.S. bases and other American targets after the United States and Israel launched an air war against the regime last Saturday.
Russia’s decision to provide Iran with data from its satellites and other intelligence underscores the widening geopolitical fallout from the war and could carry potential risks for American ships, aircraft and bases in the region.
The Washington Post first reported on Russia’s assistance.
Trump, when asked by a reporter about Russian intelligence assistance to Iran, said the question was "stupid."
"That’s an easy problem compared to what we’re doing here," the president said during an East Room roundtable on college sports. "What a stupid question that is to be asking at this time."
Trump said the U.S. was doing "very well" in its strikes on Iran.
"Somebody said, how would you score it from zero to 10? I said, I’d give it a 12 to a 15. Their army is gone. ... Their Navy is gone. Their communications are gone. Their leaders are gone. Two sets of their leaders are gone. They’re down to their third set. Their Air Force is wiped out entirely. Think of it," he said.
Publicly available images of Iranian strikes in recent days have shown U.S. military radar, satellite dishes and communication infrastructure coming under attack at American bases in the Persian Gulf.
Iran has a small number of military satellites but Russia can draw on a large network of satellites and other data to provide the Tehran regime with information about U.S. forces faster and with more precision, as well as more accurate battle damage assessments from Iranian aerial strikes, according to Nicole Grajewski, an expert on Russia and Iran cooperation and an assistant professor at the Center for International Studies at Sciences Po in Paris.
The types of targets Iran appears to be aiming for, sometimes successfully, suggest Tehran is receiving enhanced intelligence, she said. The Iranian aerial attacks appear to be more precise than in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, and more focused on radar sites and communication posts in particular.
“They appear to be going after command and control” for U.S. forces, she said.
The Iranian tactics also appear to resemble Russia’s air campaign in its war with Ukraine, with swarms of drones hitting infrastructure followed by ballistic missile attacks, Grajewski said.
In an interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his government was receiving political and other assistance from Russia and China but declined to elaborate.
“They are supporting us politically and otherwise,” Araghchi said.
Long-standing military cooperation between Iran and Russia “is not a secret,” he said.
Asked if Iran was receiving military assistance from Russia or China, he said: “Well, I’m not going to give the details of our cooperation with other countries right in the middle of the war.”
President Donald Trump has often said he has an excellent rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has claimed that Moscow would not have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine if he had been in the White House at the time.
At a Pentagon press conference earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked about Russia and China’s calls for an immediate ceasefire and whether the U.S. had a message for Moscow or Beijing.
“I don’t have a message for them. They’re not really a factor here,” he said.
