Western intelligence officials believe Russia's role in supporting Iran amid the US-Israeli military campaign is deepening, alongside potential expanding involvement by China.
Bloomberg, citing officials, writes in a fresh Thursday report: "Moscow is currently providing Iran with various forms of intelligence, including satellite imagery and drone targeting tactics, in an effort to help Iran hit back at US forces in the region, according to people familiar with US and Western intelligence."
Within the first week of Trump's Operation Epic Fury it was widely alleged that Russia was giving Iran targeting information concerning US bases and assets in the region.
While there's nothing in the way of smoking gun proof, all are in agreement that American bases have been hit hard, with US installations as far away as Jordan having suffered severe missile impact damage.
Western political leaders are now seizing on these allegations, to do more 'Putin is a global menace' hype. As a case in point:
“No one will be surprised to believe that Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics and potentially some of their capabilities as well,” UK Defence Secretary John Healey said at a military briefing in London on Thursday.
“Patterns of Iranian attack have the hallmarks of the way Russia is attacking Ukraine,” he said, adding that was to be expected “knowing how closely that alliance of aggression has been growing over the last few years.”
And they are also quickly saying the same of the 'China menace' - according to more from Bloomberg:
Following an intelligence briefing on Iran earlier this week, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said Russia seems to be aiding Tehran “actively and intensively, with intelligence and perhaps with other means” and added that “China may also be assisting Iran.”
Trump's Iran gambit is certainly not going to plan, and may drag Washington into another (predictable) Middle East quagmire.
These flurry of recent reports accusing Russia and China of rushing to to aid the Islamic Republic's military machine seem motivated at least in part by a Washington political class who is completely unwilling to admit their own mistakes and stupidity.
So now, each misstep and disastrous US action in the Persian Gulf region can be chalked up to "but Putin did this" or "Xi did that..."
Remember what the ex-CIA #2 said about killing Russians in Syria? The Kremlin surely does:
For example, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who it can be argued bears some responsibility for the developing Iran war fiasco, has already stated: "The Russians said that they have not been sharing — that’s what they said, so we can take them at their word,. He said: "It’s a better question for the intel people. But let’s hope that they’re not sharing."
If the Russians are sharing, what is Washington going to do about it? What can the US or Pentagon do at this point?