Days after US President Donald Trump downplayed Russia's alleged support to Iran, saying any assistance from Moscow had been "very unimpactful", a report claiming Russia is providing Tehran with intel to strengthen its military capabilities has surfaced. This comes amid the ongoing conflict with the United States.
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Citing US and European officials familiar with the matter, NBC News reported that Russia has been supplying Iran with electronic intelligence, including satellite surveillance and signals intelligence. The report further said the intelligence could help improve Tehran's air defences, enhance the precision of its drone and missile strikes, and better track US military movements during aerial operations.
Neither Russia nor Iran has publicly commented on the report, and the claims have not been independently verified.
The report surfaced days after Trump dismissed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's allegations that Russia was actively assisting Iran.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on July 28, before his meetings at the White House with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and later with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said he would personally seek clarification from Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"We'll find out if that's true. I'll ask Putin about it. We'll find out," Trump said.
Trump argued that any Russian assistance had failed to alter the battlefield.
"It hasn't had much impact because we've knocked the hell out of it (Iran)...They may be providing support, but if they are, it hasn't worked out because they (Iran) have no army, they have no air force, they have no navy, they have nothing," he remarked.
Drawing a comparison with Venezuela's military equipment, Trump added, "They (Russia) gave Venezuela a lot of equipment. Venezuela had all Russian equipment. How did that work? Not too good."
"I don't think they've been doing it, certainly not at a high level. And if they have, it has been very unimpactful," Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly accused Russia of providing Iran with satellite intelligence. He has claimed that Ukrainian intelligence found Moscow was conducting satellite surveillance of US military facilities and critical infrastructure in the Gulf before sharing the information with Tehran.
"I will instruct our intelligence to share with our partners the information we have regarding Russia's new assistance to the Iranian regime," Zelenskyy said, before him meeting with Trump.
In a post on X, the Ukrainian president wrote, "Since the beginning of July, we have recorded active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and U.S. military facilities located there. These images subsequently appear in Iran."
The latest claims come against the backdrop of rapidly expanding ties between Moscow and Tehran. In January, Russia and Iran signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement covering defence, trade, energy and security cooperation, though it stopped short of creating a formal mutual defence pact.
Military cooperation between the two countries has also deepened since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of supplying drones and other military equipment to Russia for use in Ukraine, allegations that both Moscow and Tehran have denied.
Russia has also publicly backed Iran following recent US and Israeli strikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
