Russia provides Iran with intelligence for attacks on US forces – WP
Russia is providing Iran with information for attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East. This indicates that another major adversary of the United States is participating in the war, even if indirectly.
The Washington Post reports this in an article, according to Ukrinform.
According to three officials who spoke to the newspaper, since the start of the military operation by the U.S. and Israel, Russia has been supplying Iran with data on the locations of American military facilities, including warships and aircraft.
"It does seem like it's a pretty comprehensive effort," one of the sources said.
Two officials added that China does not appear to be helping Iran's defense, despite the close ties between the two countries.
Analysts say the intelligence sharing corresponds with the pattern of Iranian strikes on U.S. forces, including attacks on command-and-control infrastructure, radar systems, and temporary facilities, such as in Kuwait, where six American service members were killed.
A Central Intelligence Agency station at the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, was also attacked in recent days.
According to Dara Massicot, an expert on the Russian armed forces at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Iran is carrying out very precise strikes on early-warning or over-the-horizon radar systems.
"They're doing this in a very targeted way. They're going after command and control," Massicot said.
She added that Iran has only a few military satellites and does not possess its own satellite constellation. This suggests that satellite imagery may have been provided by Russia, which has far more developed space capabilities, especially since the Kremlin has improved its targeting tools during the years of war in Ukraine.
The full extent of Russia's assistance to Iran in missile targeting remains unclear. Officials said Iran's ability to locate U.S. forces had deteriorated less than a week after the start of hostilities.
The report notes that despite the strike against one of its closest partners, the Kremlin may see advantages in a prolonged war between the United States and Iran, including higher oil revenues and a major crisis that diverts the attention of America and Europe away from the war in Ukraine.
As previously reported, on February 28 the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes against regime facilities in Iran. After that, Iran launched attacks on American bases in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan.
On March 5, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said his country expects a possible ground invasion by U.S. forces and is ready to resist.
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