Key Points
- Intelligence includes positions of US warships and aircraft.
- Officials describe Russia’s support as “a pretty comprehensive effort.”
- Iran’s independent ability to track US forces has weakened.
- China reportedly not assisting Iran, despite close ties.
- Iran has few satellites, lacks full satellite constellation.
- Pentagon rapidly depleting precision-guided weapons and air-defence interceptors.
- Russia’s intelligence capabilities strong, but below US level.
ISLAMABAD: Russia is reportedly providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US military ships and aircraft in the Middle East, potentially allowing Tehran to target American forces operating in the region, according to sources cited by The Washington Post.
Three officials familiar with the intelligence described the effort as extensive, with one calling it “a pretty comprehensive effort.” The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The report suggests that one of Washington’s major geopolitical rivals may now be indirectly involved in the conflict. Russia has allegedly shared information on the movement and positions of US warships and aircraft since the start of the current military confrontation between the United States and Iran.
The Russian embassy in the United States did not respond to a request for comment. The scale of Moscow’s support to Tehran in targeting American forces remains unclear.
Officials said Iran’s independent ability to track US forces had deteriorated less than a week after hostilities began, making external intelligence especially valuable.
Both the Central Intelligence Agency and the United States Department of Defense declined to comment. Two officials also said China does not appear to be assisting Iran despite close ties with Tehran; China’s embassy in Washington did not respond to comment requests.
Iran possesses only a few military satellites and lacks a full satellite constellation, making the intelligence provided by Russia particularly significant. Sources also told the newspaper that the Pentagon is rapidly depleting its stockpiles of precision-guided munitions and air-defence interceptors amid ongoing operations.
While Russia’s intelligence capabilities are not at the same level as the United States, one official described them as “among the most capable in the world.”
Background
- According to the United States Armed Forces, over 1,700 targets in Iran were struck since February 28.
- On March 3, Donald Trump said Iran sought negotiations but that it was already “too late.”
- Earlier in the week, Trump did not rule out deploying US troops directly on Iranian soil.
