Reuters: US intelligence investigating Russia's role in Iranian attacks on CIA facilities

Reuters has learned from sources familiar with the activities of US intelligence agencies that the US is investigating whether Russia may have helped Iran carry out strikes on CIA facilities in the Gulf region.

Source: European Pravda citing Reuters

Details: The sources told Reuters that US intelligence officials have not yet reached final conclusions on Russia's possible involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities.

However, they pointed to the apparent effectiveness and precision of the strikes, along with Russia's broader technical support for Iran, as possible evidence.

Reuters and other media outlets reported earlier, and US officials confirmed, that Russia provided Iran with targeting information and other support during its strikes on US facilities across the wider Gulf region. However, details of the intelligence community's investigation into Russia's possible role in supporting attacks specifically on CIA facilities have not previously been made public.

According to media reports, at least two CIA facilities were attacked in March. One was in Saudi Arabia, the other in eastern Iraq. Some sources claimed other CIA facilities were also attacked, but did not disclose further details.

An internal memo from one Western intelligence service concluded that Russia likely played a role in the attacks on the regional CIA facilities.

Two Western officials in the Gulf who were briefed on the intelligence reports said analysts believe two Russian-modified versions of Iranian Shahed-type drones were used in the attack on the facility in Saudi Arabia.

Two Western officials in the region said Russia helped improve the ability of Iran's Shahed-type drones to reach their targets. Analysts believe these were the versions Iran used in the strike on Riyadh.

Another source said Russia helped Tehran improve the accuracy of Shahed-136 drones by supplying the Kometa-M satellite navigation system, which experts believe is far more precise and more resistant to jamming than Iran's own version.

Sources declined to reveal the exact number or locations of CIA facilities struck by Iranian drones. One source put the figure at "more than one and fewer than a dozen", while a second said several facilities were hit.

Background:

• Bloomberg, citing Western intelligence services, reported earlier that over eight weeks of a ceasefire with the US, Iran most likely replenished its missile stocks with new Russian weapons and restored a significant part of its missile arsenal.
• The Wall Street Journal, citing its sources, reported that Russia has expanded intelligence-sharing and military cooperation with Iran to keep it in the fight against the US-Israeli operation.

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