WP: Russia provides Iran with intelligence on US bases in Middle East

According to sources cited by The Washington Post, Russia is providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US military ships and aircraft in the Middle East.

Source: The Washington Post

Quote: "Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces in the Middle East, the first indication that another major US adversary is participating – even indirectly – in the war, according to three officials familiar with the intelligence."

Details: According to The Washington Post, the assistance suggests that one of the United States' main geopolitical competitors has become involved in the conflict.

Since the start of the military operation, Russia has reportedly passed information to Iran on the locations of US military assets, including warships and aircraft.

Three officials familiar with the intelligence told the outlet about the support on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"It does seem like it's a pretty comprehensive effort," one of the sources said.

The Embassy of Russia in the United States did not respond to a request for comment.

The scale of Russia's assistance to Iran in targeting remains unclear.

Officials said Iran's ability to determine the locations of US forces had deteriorated less than a week after the fighting began.

Both the Central Intelligence Agency and the United States Department of Defense declined to comment.

Two officials familiar with Russia's support said that China does not appear to be assisting Iran's defence despite close ties between the two countries.

The Embassy of China in the United States also did not respond to inquiries about a comment.

Iran has only a few military satellites and does not possess its own satellite constellation, making the data provided by Russia particularly valuable.

In addition, sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post that the Pentagon is rapidly depleting its stockpiles of precision-guided weapons and air defence interceptors.

One official noted that while Russia's intelligence-gathering capabilities are not on the same level as those of the United States, they still rank among the most capable in the world.

Background:

• The United States forces reported on Tuesday 3 March that more than 1,700 targets in Iran had been struck since the start of the operation on 28 February.
• On 3 March, US President Donald Trump said Iran wanted negotiations but that it was already "too late".
• Earlier in the week, Trump did not categorically rule out the possibility of deploying US troops directly on Iranian territory.

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