Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s partnership with Russia will continue despite reports that Moscow has shared intelligence with Iran during the war.
Asked on NBC’s Meet the Press about allegations that Russia provided information that could help Iran target U.S. forces in the Middle East, Araghchi said the relationship between the two countries remains intact and will persist regardless of the conflict.
“We have a strategic partnership with Russia,” Araghchi said. “Military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new. It’s not a secret. It has been in the past, it is still there, and it will continue in the future.”
ZACHARY FARIA: CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS PREPARE TO JACK UP GAS PRICES AGAIN
Araghchi said that Russia is helping Iran “in many different directions” but declined having any specific military information.
The comments come amid growing scrutiny in Washington over reports that Moscow may be providing Tehran with information on the location of U.S. military assets in the region as the war escalates.
Last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the significance of an Iran-Russia intelligence partnership and said that any Russian assistance had not changed the battlefield dynamics, pointing to operations that have significantly degraded Iranian capabilities.
TRUMP AND MAMDANI’S UNLIKELY POLITICAL ALLIANCE: ‘A NEW YORK CITY SOAP OPERA’
“It clearly is not making a difference with respect to the military operations in Iran because we are completely decimating them,” Leavitt said, pointing to U.S. strikes that she said had destroyed dozens of naval vessels and sharply reduced Iran’s missile attacks against U.S. and allied targets in the region.
The allegations of shared intelligence come as fighting between Iran, Israel, and U.S. forces continues to expand across the Middle East.
Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones targeting Israel and countries hosting American bases, while U.S. and Israeli forces have struck thousands of Iranian military targets.
Russia has avoided direct military involvement in the conflict but maintains a growing strategic relationship with Iran. The two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in 2025 designed to deepen cooperation across defense, economic, and technological sectors, though it does not obligate either country to defend the other militarily.
WHITE HOUSE DOWNPLAYS RUSSIAN ASSISTANCE FOR IRAN: ‘IT CLEARLY IS NOT MAKING A DIFFERENCE’
Their ties have expanded significantly in recent years, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when Iran supplied Moscow with drones that Russia used in its war effort in exchange for increased military cooperation and technology sharing.
Analysts say intelligence sharing would represent a low-risk way for Russia to support Iran while avoiding direct confrontation with the United States, even as Moscow balances in the region.