Russia provides intelligence to Iran on US positions, sources say

Russia is providing intelligence to Iran about US positions in the Middle East during ongoing joint negotiations between the US and Israel. military operations in iranseveral sources, including a senior US official with direct knowledge, told News themezone on Friday.

The Kremlin’s sharing of information about U.S. assets is the first known indication that Russia, a major U.S. adversary, is indirectly helping Iran. The Washington Post first reported on Russia’s intelligence help.

The White House did not comment directly on Russia’s involvement, telling News themezone that “the Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed.”

“Their ballistic missile retaliation is diminishing by the day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and their representatives are hardly putting up a fight,” Anna Kelly, the White House’s principal deputy press secretary, said in a statement. “Operation Epic Fury is meeting or exceeding all of its objectives, and the United States will continue to dominate.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked during an appearance on News about Russia providing intelligence to Iran about U.S. assets, said she could not comment on “intelligence reports that are leaked to the press.”

“Whether this happened or not, frankly, it doesn’t really matter, because President Trump and the United States military are absolutely decimating the Iranian terrorist regime,” he said.

Leavitt later clarified to reporters that he meant Russia sharing intelligence on U.S. assets with Iran “doesn’t matter” because “it clearly doesn’t make a difference with respect to military operations in Iran, because we are completely decimating them.”

Earlier Friday, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia’s government is in “dialogue” with representatives of the Iranian leadership. Peskov’s comments, his only comments regarding Iran in his Friday briefing, came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Russia and China were helping Iran politically and “in other ways.”

Peskov declined to comment to the Post when asked about the intelligence findings.

The CIA declined to comment on Russia’s intelligence sharing.

Earlier this week, when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked by reporters what message he had for Russia and China, two of Iran’s most powerful supporters, he said he had none, adding that “they’re not really a factor here.”

Moscow and Tehran have expanded their military cooperation from Russia in 2022. invasion of ukraine. Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed attack drones that have been widely used to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, according to US officials. Tehran has also helped Moscow establish a facility within Russia to manufacture Iranian-designed drones in the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week in an X post that the United States had asked Ukraine for help defending Gulf countries from Iranian drone attacks, saying he had given instructions “to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can ensure the necessary security.”

The United States has been mediating three-way peace talks between Ukraine and Russia that have so far made no progress.

Until now, six American troops have died in the military offensive that the Trump administration calls Operation Epic Fury. They died when a Iranian attack hit a tactical operations center where they were working in Kuwait.

The six were members of a US Army reserve unit based in Des Moines, Iowa. President Trump is expected to attend the dignified transfer of those service members when they are returned to the United States.