Russia is providing Iran with intelligence to help it strike American military forces in the Middle East, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the information sharing as a “pretty comprehensive effort,” though the full extent of Russia’s assistance remained unclear, the newspaper noted.
The targeting information is said to have included the locations of U.S. warships and aircraft.
Iran’s own ability to locate American forces has been degraded since the United States and Israel began launching devastating attacks on the country this weekend, the officials said.
There was no immediate response from Moscow to the allegations.
Russia is one of Iran’s closest partners. It has condemned U.S.-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic as an “unprovoked act of armed aggression.”
In 2025, the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement that includes provisions for countering shared threats. However, the pact stops short of mutual defense obligations, unlike the security agreement Russia has signed with North Korea.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News this week that “military cooperation between Iran and Russia is no secret.”
“We have cooperated in the past, and this cooperation continues, and I hope it will continue in the future,” Araghchi said, declining to disclose further details.
The Kremlin said Thursday that Iran had not asked for Russia’s military support since the outbreak of war.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Russia, along with China, another Iran ally, was “not really a factor” in Washington’s military campaign against Iran.
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