Russia's intelligence information to help Iran attack the US and Trump's response
Russia has been reported to have supplied intelligence information to Iran to assist Tehran in launching attacks on United States military assets in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump described the intelligence as not particularly helpful.
According to detikcom’s report on Monday, 9 March 2026, news that Iran had obtained intelligence from Russia was reported by The Washington Post, a leading American media outlet. Two US officials familiar with the matter said that Moscow is suspected of providing intelligence to Iran that could help it strike US warships, aircraft, and other military assets in the Middle East.
As reported by Euronews on Saturday, 7 March, two officials familiar with the intelligence reports stated that the information could be used by Iran to carry out attacks on American targets in the Gulf region.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authority to discuss sensitive information publicly.
Nevertheless, US intelligence has not found evidence that Moscow directly directed Iran on how to use the information in the ongoing conflict.
If proven, this would be the first indication that Russia has begun to become indirectly involved in the war that began after the joint US and Israel strikes against Iran a week ago.
For the record, Russia is one of Iran’s close partners. Moscow has previously condemned the US and Israel’s attack on Iran as an unprovoked act of armed aggression.
Trump response
US President Donald Trump responded with a laid-back view of the intelligence information provided by Russia to Iran to assist Tehran in attacking US military facilities in the Middle East. Trump said the intelligence was not important and did not help much.
According to the Associated Press on Sunday, 8 March, the President downplayed the significance of sharing such information after attending the funeral of six Army Reserve members killed in a drone strike in Kuwait the day after the US and Israel launched war against Iran that has unsettled the global economy.
Trump did not directly confirm AP’s report and other news outlets that US intelligence officials believed Moscow had provided such targeting information to Iran. But if Moscow did supply those details, he said, Iran would gain only a little from it.
‘If you look at what has happened to Iran over the past week, if they are getting that information, it does not help them very much,’ Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to Miami to spend the weekend.
The President also brushed off questions about how such Russian assistance to Iran could affect his views on the US–Russia relationship.
‘Wouldn’t they say that we did it to counter them?’ he added.