Russia has provided Iran with intelligence that could help Tehran track and potentially target U.S. warships, aircraft and other military assets in the Middle East — a development that highlights the strategic interdependence between Moscow and Tehran.
The revelation, shared by American officials familiar with classified assessments, point to the high stakes the major powers have with regard to the evolving situation in the Middle East since U.S. and Israel attacked Iran a week ago and Tehran retaliated with shipping disruptions and strikes on energy targets and American bases in the surrounding Middle Eastern countries.
According to two officials, cited by the Associated Press, said that Russia had shared information that could help Iran monitor U.S. military movements in the Persian Gulf and surrounding region.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the intelligence publicly, cautioned that U.S. agencies have not concluded that Russia is directing Iran on how to use the information.
Still, the disclosure marks the first indication that Moscow may be quietly inserting itself into the escalating conflict.
The alleged intelligence sharing comes amid an increasingly close partnership between Russia and Iran — two heavily sanctioned states whose military and economic ties have deepened significantly in recent years.
Deepening Russia–Iran strategic partnership
Western officials and analysts say cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has expanded rapidly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to Reuters, Iran has supplied Russia with large numbers of attack drones used extensively in strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, with Ukrainian officials saying thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed drones have been launched since the war began.
U.S. officials have also accused Tehran of transferring missiles and helping Russia establish domestic drone production facilities, allowing Moscow to manufacture Iranian-designed drones inside Russia.
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In parallel, Moscow and Tehran have moved to formalize their growing alignment. In 2025, the two countries signed a long-term strategic partnership agreement designed to expand cooperation in defense, trade and energy while helping both economies mitigate Western sanctions.
Analysts cited by outlets such as the Financial Times and Reuters have described the relationship as increasingly transactional: Iran supplies drones and other military technologies while Russia provides diplomatic backing, advanced weapons cooperation and political support in international forums.
The emerging partnership has raised concerns in Washington and among NATO allies that collaboration between the two countries could expand beyond the Ukraine war into other theaters, including the Middle East.
White House downplays impact
The White House sought to minimize the significance of the intelligence-sharing reports while not explicitly denying them.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday that any Russian assistance had not changed the trajectory of U.S. military operations.
“It clearly is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them,” Leavitt said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, said the Pentagon is monitoring all potential coordination between Moscow and Tehran.
We have only just begun to fight. pic.twitter.com/HI2mifVy4W
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) March 4, 2026
“The American people can rest assured their commander in chief is well aware of who’s talking to who,” Hegseth said. “Anything that shouldn’t be happening, whether it’s in public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly.”
Leavitt declined to say whether President Donald Trump had raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin or whether Washington was considering retaliatory measures.
Kremlin avoids direct answer
Russia publicly confirmed ongoing dialogue with Iran but did not directly address the intelligence-sharing allegations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tehran had not requested military assistance from Moscow.
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“We are in dialogue with the Iranian side, with representatives of the Iranian leadership, and will certainly continue this dialogue,” Peskov told reporters.
Pressed on whether Russia had provided military or intelligence support since the conflict began, he declined to comment.
Moscow has condemned U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and called for diplomacy to resolve the crisis.
A broader geopolitical alignment
The expanding Russia–Iran partnership reflects a broader geopolitical alignment among countries seeking to counter U.S. influence.
Iran sees closer ties with Russia as offering access to advanced military technology and political backing at the United Nations.
Russia treats Tehran as a critical supplier of low-cost weapons systems and a strategic partner as Western sanctions and diplomatic isolation deepen over the war in Ukraine.
U.S. officials and analysts warn that this growing cooperation — now potentially extending into intelligence sharing during a major Middle East conflict — could complicate Western military operations and reshape regional security dynamics.
Details of the U.S. intelligence assessment were first reported by The Washington Post.
China urges restraint while maintaining ties with Iran
China, another major power with close economic ties to Iran, has largely adopted a cautious stance as tensions escalate in the region.
Beijing has called for restraint from all sides and emphasized the need for diplomacy, consistent with its broader approach to conflicts that could threaten global trade and energy markets.
China is Iran’s largest oil customer and has maintained economic engagement with Tehran despite U.S. sanctions, while also maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel and close economic ties with Gulf Arab states.
Analysts say Beijing has generally sought to avoid becoming directly entangled in regional military confrontations, preferring instead to position itself as a potential diplomatic intermediary while protecting its strategic interests in energy security and trade routes.
China has also attempted in recent years to raise its diplomatic profile in the Middle East. In 2023, Beijing brokered a surprise agreement restoring diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia — a move that signaled its growing but still cautious role in regional diplomacy.
For now, analysts say China appears focused primarily on preventing further escalation that could disrupt global energy flows or destabilize a region critical to its economic interests.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
