Washington, Mar 7: Russia has reportedly provided Iran with information that could help identify American military assets in the region, according to US officials familiar with intelligence assessments.
The officials, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the matter, said the intelligence shared by Moscow could potentially assist Tehran in locating US warships, aircraft and other strategic assets in the Persian Gulf. However, they added that there is no indication that Russia is directing Iran on how the information should be used.
The development comes amid the ongoing military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has seen air strikes and retaliatory attacks across the region.
According to reports, the information sharing could signal a deeper level of involvement by Russia in the conflict. Moscow maintains close ties with Tehran, which has long faced international pressure over its nuclear programme and its support for armed groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
The White House, however, downplayed the significance of the reports. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the alleged intelligence sharing has not affected US military operations against Iranian targets.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington is closely monitoring all developments and factoring them into operational planning. He emphasised that US authorities are aware of communications between various actors involved in the conflict.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin avoided confirming whether any intelligence assistance had been provided. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia remains in dialogue with Iranian leadership but declined to comment on specific reports of cooperation.
Relations between Moscow and Tehran have strengthened in recent years, particularly during the war in Ukraine. Previous US intelligence assessments have indicated that Iran supplied drones to Russia and assisted in establishing drone manufacturing capabilities for use in the conflict.
The report was first published by The Washington Post.
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said several Middle Eastern countries have approached Ukraine for expertise in countering Iranian-made Shahed drones. Kyiv has developed defensive tactics against the drones after facing repeated attacks during the war with Russia.