Europe Allies Claim Russia Helps Iran More Than US Acknowledged

European allies have informed American diplomats that Russia is directly aiding Iran’s military efforts beyond what the U.S. publicly acknowledges, according to CBS News. The Europeans argue that the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Iran are interconnected due to Russian-Iranian cooperation.

A UK official told CBS News that Russian-Iranian defense collaboration has significantly increased, with Iranian technological advancements now evident in Middle Eastern attacks. The UK assesses that Iran has transferred Shahed drones to Russia for use in Ukraine and provided production know-how, which has helped Iran refine its drone warfare capabilities. However, the official could not confirm a recent hardware transfer from Russia to Iran.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the relationship between Russia and Iran as “two-way cooperation.” He stated that there are reasons to believe Russia is supporting Iran’s military efforts, particularly against American targets.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy posted on social media that his country has “irrefutable evidence” of Russian support for Iran. He also said intelligence briefings show that U.S. military facilities in the Middle East and Gulf region were photographed by Russian satellites for Iranian use.

In a visit to the UAE, which maintains close ties with Russia, Zelenskyy offered anti-drone technology developed by Ukraine for defensive purposes. This comes as multiple sources told CBS News earlier this month that Russia is providing intelligence support to Iran aimed at targeting Americans and U.S. military bases.

European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas told G7 leaders that Russia is supporting Iran with intelligence to target Americans, kill Americans, and drones to attack neighboring countries and U.S. bases. UK Secretary of Defense John Healey told BBC News that he sees the “hidden hand of Putin” behind Iran’s war effort.

When asked about reports of Russia sharing intelligence with Iran, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told CBS’ 60 Minutes that President Trump is aware of all communications and that any unauthorized activities are being strongly confronted.

U.S. intelligence disclosed this month that there is selective cooperation among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, driven by the common goal of balancing U.S. efforts and actions. However, it found the relationships short of adversary alignment due to concerns about directly confronting the U.S.

There is high demand for U.S.-made interceptors in Israel, Gulf allies, and Ukraine amid ongoing threats. Rubio argued that the U.S. sale and allocation of defensive equipment to Ukraine has not been negatively impacted by the need for interceptors in the Middle East. He stated that NATO’s mechanism for purchasing this weaponry remains unaffected but acknowledged the possibility of future redirections.