AP Reports Moscow Shared Information That Could Help Tehran Strike US Assets as Gulf War Escalates.
Is the Iran war quietly becoming a US–Russia proxy showdown?
Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran target U.S. warships, aircraft and other military assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with American intelligence assessments.
The officials, speaking anonymously because of the sensitivity of the matter, cautioned that U.S. intelligence has not concluded that Moscow is directing Iran’s actions. But they said Russia has shared data that could enhance Iran’s ability to track or strike American forces as the U.S. and Israel continue bombardment inside Iran.
The disclosure, first reported by The Washington Post, marks the clearest sign yet that Moscow may be stepping more directly into the widening conflict.
President Donald Trump dismissed a question about the alleged intelligence sharing during a White House event, calling it “a stupid question.” His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, did not deny the reports but said they were “not making any difference” to U.S. military operations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a television interview that the United States is “tracking everything” and incorporating any foreign involvement into its operational planning.
At the Kremlin, spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia remains in dialogue with Iran but declined to say whether intelligence or military assistance has been provided since the war began. He added that Tehran has not requested formal military support.
Russia’s relationship with Iran has deepened in recent years, particularly as Moscow sought drones and missiles for its war in Ukraine. U.S. intelligence previously concluded that Iran supplied Russia with Shahed attack drones and assisted in establishing drone manufacturing facilities.
The current conflict now links the two theaters more directly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Middle Eastern governments are consulting Kyiv for expertise in countering Iranian-made drones — systems that have been used extensively against Ukrainian cities.
The development underscores how the war in Iran is intersecting with broader geopolitical rivalries. While there is no evidence of a formal Russia-Iran military alliance in this conflict, intelligence cooperation alone could complicate U.S. operations and widen the strategic stakes.
For Washington, the question is no longer confined to Tehran’s capabilities — but who may be quietly enhancing them.
