Flames rise during a fire casued by debris from an intercepted drone at the oil refinery hub in Fujeirah, United Arab Emirates (Picture: EPA)
Russia is supplying Iran with information to help it target US warships and aircraft deployed to the Middle East, according to reports in the States.
The Kremlin has been sharing intelligence with Tehran since war broke out in the region following American and Israeli airstrikes, the Washington Post reports.
One of the newspaper’s three sources ‘familiar with the intel’ said: ‘It does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort.’
The extent of Russian support was not entirely clear, but the Iranian military’s ability to locate US targets themselves have been degraded since the conflict erupted last week, the Post reports.
Israel’s military claims to have destroyed 80% of Iran’s air-defense systems in the first week of the campaign and disabled more than 60% of its missile launchers.
A White House spokeswoman did not directly comment on the alleged Russian support to Iran.
‘The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed,’ White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Reuters.
‘Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight.’
An explosion on Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli strike (Picture: Reuters)
Demonstrators attend an anti-Israeli and US rally after Friday prayer (Picture: Wana News Agency/Reuters)
Vapor trails in the sky after Israel intercepted missiles launched from Iran (Picture: Reuters)
Russia was in dialogue with representatives of Iran’s leadership, the Kremlin said on Friday.
It declined to provide details when asked by reporters whether Moscow was helping Tehran.
The conflict has been an unexpected shot in the arm for Russia, with a significant bump in demand for its oil and gas, boosting exports battered in recent years by sanctions linked to its war in Ukraine.
The United States has given Ukraine intelligence information during its war with Russia.
The Russian Embassy in Washington and Russia’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Smoke rises from an earlier Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon (Picture: AP)
Earlier, US President Donald Trump appeared to rule out negotiations with Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East, saying in a social media post Friday that there will be no deal absent ‘unconditional surrender’ from Tehran.
‘After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,’ Trump said.
He has said multiple times that whoever takes over leadership of Iran must be to the U.S.’s liking.
Trump signed off the social media post with ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!)’, a riff on his longtime campaign slogan, ‘Make America Great Again’.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks early Friday against neighbouring countries that host US’ forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The latest strikes mark a full week of attacks affecting countries across the Middle East.
Israel’s military said that the fighting has destroyed most of Iran’s air defences and missile launchers.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that strikes against Tehran were ‘about to surge dramatically’.
Tehran has warned of the destruction of the Middle East’s military and economic infrastructure, and the war has rattled financial markets.
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