Trump deflects questions on reports of Russia sharing intelligence with Iran on U.S. Forces
Sources cited by U.S. media said Russia may be helping Iran locate American warships, radar systems and communications infrastructure
President Donald Trump declined Friday to comment on media reports indicating that Russia has been supplying Iran with intelligence on the positions and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft in the Middle East.
What a stupid question! Trump told a Fox News reporter during a White House event on college sports. We’re talking about something else, he added, offering no substantive response.
According to multiple outlets including CNN and The Washington Post, Moscow has shared satellite imagery and other operational data about American military assets in the region with Tehran — the first indication that Russia has sought to involve itself in the conflict.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asked about the same reports on CBS News, said the president is very aware of who is talking to whom and that the U.S. is tracking everything, without confirming or denying the accounts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Friday that the prospect of Russian intelligence sharing with Iran clearly was not making a difference in the war.
Sources cited by U.S. media said Russia may be helping Iran locate American warships, radar systems and communications infrastructure, though there is no evidence Moscow is directly guiding Iranian strikes.
The potential strategic value of Russia’s satellite capabilities for Iran is considerable: Tehran possesses only a handful of military-grade satellites with no comparable space constellation, while Moscow operates a sophisticated surveillance network. Analysts cited in U.S. media noted that Iranian attacks have proven more precise than anticipated, targeting radar and communications infrastructure in particular — a pattern some experts said resembles Russia’s aerial campaign in Ukraine.
Russia has condemned U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran while tempering its public criticism of the Trump administration, a posture analysts attribute to Moscow’s interest in preserving diplomatic leverage over Ukraine negotiations. Moscow has described the American and Israeli attacks as an unprovoked act of armed aggression.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged this week that Russia and China are providing Iran with political and other support, but declined to elaborate on the nature of that cooperation. The U.S. military operation against Iran currently involves more than 50,000 troops, over 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers, according to U.S. Central Command.
