Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special representative, recently stated that Russia is not sharing intelligence with Iran during the ongoing American-Israeli operations against Tehran. His comments came during an interview on CNBC’s Money Movers program.
Witkoff referenced discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Russian officials assured that Moscow is not exchanging intelligence with Tehran in the context of the Middle East conflict. He remarked,
“So, you know, we can take them at their word. Let’s hope they’re not sharing.”
Additionally, Witkoff revealed that on March 9, he and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, had a separate conversation with Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor. Ushakov reiterated that Russia is not providing intelligence to Iran.
Contrary to these assertions, U.S. intelligence has indicated that Russia is indeed supplying Iran with information regarding the locations and movements of American military forces, ships, and aircraft, including data from satellites.
This intelligence sharing is believed to have facilitated Iranian strikes on temporary U.S. military installations in the Persian Gulf region. For instance, on March 1, Iran launched a drone attack on a U.S. military site in Kuwait, resulting in six fatalities.
Caroline Levitt, spokesperson for the Trump administration, stated that the President does not consider the possibility of Russia aiding Iran with intelligence for attacks on American forces.
On March 6, Trump avoided answering a question regarding allegations that Russia is assisting Iran in countering the U.S.-Israeli operations by providing intelligence. However, on March 8, he claimed there were no signs indicating that Russia had provided any assistance to Iran during the American-Israeli operations on Iranian territory.
U.S. officials have expressed skepticism about Russian claims of not sharing intelligence with Iran amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Despite assurances from Moscow, U.S. intelligence suggests otherwise, raising concerns about the implications for American forces in the region.