Iranian foreign minister won’t deny Russia is feeding Tehran intelligence on American warships

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly confirmed active military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in an interview with NBC News on 8 March. He declined to say whether Russia is specifically providing intelligence on US military positions — something four American officials had already told the network was happening. Araghchi described the Russia-Iran partnership as "very good" and said it "will continue."

"They are helping us in many different directions"

When NBC's Meet the Press host Kristen Welker pressed Araghchi on whether Russia was supplying intelligence to help Iran locate US forces, he did not deny it.

"Cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new," he said. "It's not a secret. It has been in the past, and it's still there, and will continue in the future."

Asked directly whether Russia was helping Iran, Araghchi said:

"They are helping us in many different directions. I don't have any detailed information."

He declined to elaborate on military specifics.

Two days earlier, in a separate NBC interview, Araghchi had offered a similar formulation — saying Moscow and Beijing were providing support "politically and otherwise" without specifying what "otherwise" covered.

Four US sources say Russia is sharing targeting intelligence

NBC reported on 6 March, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter, that Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence on the locations of US forces since fighting escalated the previous weekend. The data could help Tehran locate American warships, radar systems, and communication posts. The sources said there is no indication Moscow is directing Iranian strikes.

Explore further

The drone pipeline reverses: Russia now gives intel for Iranian strikes against American troops – Washington Post

Iranian tactics in the current conflict appear more precise than during June's 12-day war with Israel, NBC noted — and they resemble Russia's air campaign against Ukraine, combining drone swarms with ballistic missile follow-up strikes.

Washington's muted response

The Trump administration has largely dismissed the reports. When a reporter asked Trump about Russian intelligence assistance to Iran, he called the question "stupid." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the alleged sharing "is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran."

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters he asked Russia not to share intelligence and that he "hopes" it is not happening.

Explore further

The UAE asked for 5,000 interceptors, Qatar for 2,000 — and the reason every Gulf state is calling Ukraine is the same: Patriot isn’t enough

A partnership forged over Ukrainian skies

The Russia-Iran axis Araghchi described is not new — Ukraine has been on its receiving end since 2022. Iran initially supplied Russia with Shahed drones and shared their design, enabling Moscow to set up its own production lines — and over 57,000 of the Iranian-designed drones have since been used against Ukraine. Russia and Iran formalized the relationship early last year by signing a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty covering military affairs, trade, and technology.

A Russian-made Kometa-B anti-jamming navigation module found inside an Iranian drone that struck the UK air base in Cyprus on 1 March showed the technology transfer also runs the other way.