Kremlin declines to say if US warned against sharing intel with Iran
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Smoke rising from the site of an explosion in Tehran on March 1, 2026, after Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – The Kremlin declined on March 10 to say whether the United States had warned it against sharing intelligence with Iran, as the war in the Middle East entered its 11th day.
The United States and Israel began striking Iran on Feb 28, prompting a storm of retaliatory Iranian strikes across the Gulf.
The Washington Post reported on March 6 that Moscow had passed sensitive intelligence to Tehran, including the locations of US warships and aircraft in the region.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on March 7 he had “strongly” communicated to Russia not to share targeting information with Tehran.
When asked by AFP about Mr Witkoff’s statement, or whether US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had discussed this in a phone call on March 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “All I can say is that Witkoff is in constant contact with his Russian counterparts, and that this channel of communication indeed allows us to hand each other signals about the most sensitive issues.”
Mr Witkoff later on March 10 said in an interview with CNBC that “on the call with the President, the Russians said they have not been sharing” intelligence.
“We can take them at their word,” Mr Witkoff added.
Mr Trump said on March 7 he had no indication Russia was supporting Iran in the war, but that if they were, it was not “helping much”.
Russia is a close ally of Iran, with the two agreeing in 2025 to help each other counter “common threats”. AFP
