CBS News reported on 06 March 2026 that multiple sources, including a senior U.S. official with direct knowledge, said Russia was providing Iran with intelligence on U.S. positions in the Middle East. The network said the allegation was first reported in a Washington Post exclusive, which stated that Russia had passed Iran the locations of American military assets, including warships and aircraft, since the war began.
The White House did not publicly confirm the claim. CBS reported that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she could not comment on leaked intelligence reports and later said the alleged sharing was not affecting U.S. military operations in Iran. In a separate CBS interview, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump was “well aware of who’s talking to who” and that the United States was tracking the issue and confronting anything improper.
Moscow also stopped short of confirming the allegation. The Washington Post exclusive said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment when asked about the intelligence findings. TASS separately quoted Peskov as saying Russia remained in dialogue with Iran’s leadership and would continue those contacts, but he did not specify whether any military or technical cooperation was underway.
The reports surfaced against the backdrop of deeper Russia-Iran military ties since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. CBS said Iran had supplied Russia with Shahed attack drones and helped establish a facility inside Russia to manufacture Iranian-designed drones. The Washington Post exclusive also said Iran has been one of Russia’s chief backers in the Ukraine war, sharing drone technology that has been used against Ukrainian cities.
For now, the allegation remains a report based on unnamed officials, not a public admission by either government. What is on the record is that the White House has downplayed the issue, while the Kremlin has acknowledged continuing dialogue with Tehran without addressing the intelligence claim directly.