Russia accused of providing Iran intelligence to target American forces

The previously unreported assistance represents a significant escalation, bringing one of Washington's principal nuclear-armed rivals and its sophisticated intelligence apparatus into the rapidly widening war.

Russia's embassy in Washington offered no response when asked for comment on the allegations by the Washington Post.

The Kremlin has publicly urged an end to hostilities, characterising the conflict as "unprovoked armed aggression".

Since hostilities commenced on Saturday, Russian officials have been passing on coordinates of American military assets, including the positions of naval vessels and aircraft operating in the region.

"It does seem like it's a pretty comprehensive effort," one of the officials told The Washington Post.

The full scope of Moscow's targeting support remains unclear, though officials indicated that Iran's own capacity to track US forces has deteriorated significantly in less than a week of combat. Neither the CIA nor the Pentagon would comment on the intelligence-sharing claims.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly declined to address questions about Russian assistance but insisted the Iranian regime was "being absolutely crushed".

She pointed to Tehran's diminishing ballistic missile capabilities, the destruction of its naval forces, and the demolition of its production facilities.

The intelligence appears to be shaping the precision of Iranian attacks. Analysts noted that Tehran's strikes have targeted command and control infrastructure, early warning radar systems, and temporary military structures with notable accuracy.

Dara Massicot, a Russian military expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, observed that Iran is "making very precise hits on early warning radars or over-the-horizon radars" and pursuing targets "in a very targeted way".

The CIA station at the American embassy in Riyadh was among the facilities struck in recent days.

On Sunday, an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait claimed the lives of six US service members and left several others wounded.

Tehran has launched thousands of one-way attack drones and hundreds of missiles at American military installations, diplomatic compounds, and civilian areas.

Nicole Grajewski, who researches Iranian-Russian cooperation at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, highlighted the "sophistication" evident in Tehran's retaliatory operations, both in target selection and the ability to penetrate allied defensive systems.

"They're getting through air defences," she noted, adding that the effectiveness of Iranian strikes appeared to have advanced considerably since the 12-day conflict with Israel last summer.

Russia's superior satellite capabilities would prove invaluable to Iran, which operates only a small number of military-grade satellites and lacks its own constellation. Moscow has refined its targeting expertise through years of warfare in Ukraine.

The Pentagon is rapidly depleting its stocks of precision munitions and air defence interceptors, sources have indicated, validating concerns raised by General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Moscow's support for Tehran represents a reversal of the proxy dynamics established since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Throughout that conflict, Iran provided drone technology that has repeatedly overwhelmed Ukrainian air defences, while Washington supplied Kyiv with billions in military equipment and intelligence on Russian positions.

"The Russians are more than aware of the assistance that we're giving the Ukrainians," one official said. "I think they were very happy to try to get some payback."

The Kremlin may see strategic benefits in a prolonged US-Iran confrontation, including elevated oil revenues and a crisis that diverts American and European attention from Ukraine.

However, Dara Massicot noted the Kremlin views this as "not their problem and not their war," with Ukraine remaining "far and away the number one priority."