New Delhi: Russia is providing critical information to Iran, which is helping the country identify American assets in West Asia. This is the first indication of the involvement of a major nuclear-armed nation’s indirect role in the regional conflict.
According to The Washington Post, Moscow has been sharing locations of US military assets, including warships and aircraft, with Tehran since the Iran war began on 28 February.
While the Kremlin has declined to comment on these findings, the assistance marks a major shift in the West Asian region, as Russia’s intelligence capabilities have been introduced in the region.
The intelligence sharing has been seen as a comprehensive effort from Moscow to help the Iranian military, whose reconnaissance abilities have been significantly damaged after a week of intense fighting.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, during the ongoing US operation on Iran, said, “Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight.”
Despite the White House spokesperson’s statements, Russian data is allowing Tehran to maintain a high level of sophistication in retaliatory strikes.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a press conference on 4 March, downplayed any involvement of external power by stating: “I don’t have a message for them (Russia and China). They’re not really a factor here.”
However, intelligence suggests that while Beijing has limited its engagement to diplomacy, the Kremlin has been actively stepping up to fill the gap for Tehran by delivering intelligence.
The satellite advantage
Dara Massicot, an expert on Russian military at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The Washington Post, “Iran is making very precise hits on early warning radars or over-the-horizon radars. They’re doing this in a very targeted way. They’re going after US command and control.”
These precise strikes have already had lethal consequences, with six US service members killed and several others injured by an Iranian drone attack Sunday in Kuwait.
As per analysts, the attack fits the pattern of intelligence-sharing, as Tehran is systematically targeting command and control infrastructure and radars.
Iran currently possesses only a handful of military-grade satellites and lacks a dedicated constellation of its own. This makes imagery and data provided by Russia’s advanced space-based assets highly valuable, added Massicot.
The strategic calculus behind Moscow’s assistance is deeply rooted in its Ukraine conflict, when Washington provided tens of billions of dollars in military equipment and target-specific intelligence to Kyiv.
During the same conflict, Tehran supported Moscow alongside Pyongyang and Beijing by sharing technology for the cheap, one-way attack drones that have exhausted Western stocks of interceptors.
One of the officials noted, “The Russians are more than aware of the assistance that we’re giving the Ukrainians. I think they were very happy to try to get some payback.”
The oil effect
Beyond retaliation, the Kremlin also sees an advantage in a prolonged American engagement in the Middle East, which would increase demand and push oil prices higher.
The US Friday issued a temporary 30-day waiver to India for stranded Russian oil cargo amid regional instability in West Asia. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted on X that President Trump’s energy agenda has achieved record oil and gas output, justifying the waiver to sustain global supply flows.
President Trump’s energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded.
To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil.…
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) March 6, 2026
The effectiveness of these Russian-aided strikes is putting immense pressure on the US military’s logistics. One of the officials told the Post that the Pentagon is reportedly “burning through” its supply of precision arms and air defence interceptors at an unsustainable rate.
This concern was raised by General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, questioning the long-term viability of the operation as the administration attempts to manage multiple global fronts.
Despite the intelligence support, experts note that Russia is still prioritising its own borders. Massicot said, “From a strategic calculus perspective, Ukraine is still far and away the number one priority.”
“While Moscow is happy to provide intelligence to frustrate US efforts, it remains wary of direct military involvement in a war it does not consider its own,” Massicot added.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Oil crisis to trade disruption—why India must try to reshape regional balance in West Asia