U.S. officials have said that Russia has been sharing intelligence with Iran during the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel.
According to officials in Washington, the information reportedly includes satellite imagery showing the positions of U.S. warships and military personnel in the region.
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The intelligence is believed to be intended to help Iran track American military assets during the conflict.
However, some officials downplayed the significance of the development.
They noted that Russia has previously provided similar intelligence support to Iran, suggesting the cooperation is not entirely new.
It also remains unclear how effectively Iran can use the information.
Although Tehran possesses advanced missile systems, they are still considered less sophisticated than Russia’s capabilities.
Officials said it is uncertain whether Iran can accurately target naval assets using the shared intelligence.
The conflict began last Saturday when the United States and Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran.
READ: Israel-Iran war: Iran vows retaliation after death of Khamenei
Since then, Iran has faced significant pressure from the joint assault.
According to The New York Times, the strikes have reduced Iran’s ability to launch missiles, as several launch sites and command centers have been targeted.
As a result, the pace of Iran’s retaliatory attacks has slowed in recent days.
Despite this, Iranian forces have managed to strike some U.S. positions in the region.
Missile attacks on American military bases in Kuwait reportedly killed six service members, while facilities in Bahrain were also damaged.
In another incident, Iranian drones targeted a building housing a CIA station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Officials said no casualties were reported in that attack.
Reports of Russia’s intelligence sharing were first published by The Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday to discuss the ongoing war with the United States and Israel.
According to a Kremlin statement, the two leaders agreed to maintain communication through different channels.
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Putin also expressed condolences over the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and called for an end to the fighting, urging “a swift return to the path” of a diplomatic resolution.
The Kremlin statement did not directly address the intelligence-sharing reports.
