Europe believes Russia is helping Iran in the war more than the US is willing to admit

In Europe, Russia is believed to be providing Iran with significant assistance in waging the war in the Middle East. And this support is much greater than the United States is willing to publicly admit. This was reported today by CBS News, citing sources.

European officials claim that Russia's war against Ukraine is closely linked to events in the Middle East due to cooperation between Iran and Russia.

An unnamed British government official told reporters that in recent years, cooperation between Moscow and Tehran in the defense sector has increased. And Iran’s technological progress is being seen in the country’s current attacks.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has publicly characterized relations between Russia and Iran as “bilateral cooperation.” He says there are reasons to believe that even now Russia is supporting Iran’s military efforts against American targets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also earlier reported “irrefutable evidence” that the Russians are providing the Iranian regime with electronic intelligence and radio-electronic reconnaissance. According to intelligence, Russian satellites have been photographing American military facilities in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region in the interests of Iran.

Meanwhile, the United States seems to be downplaying the importance of cooperation between Russia and Iran. After the G7 meeting on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said:

'Russia is not doing anything for Iran that would in any way hinder or affect our operation or its effectiveness. That's the best way to put it.'

In early March, multiple sources told CBS News that Russia was providing Iran with intelligence on US positions in the Middle East. British Defense Secretary John Healey said he saw 'Putin's hidden hand' behind Iran's military actions.

This month, U.S. intelligence agencies publicly reported that there was 'selective cooperation' between the between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, driven by a common goal of ''balancing US efforts and actions''.

However, the US concluded that such actions do not constitute ''uniting hostile interests''.

Cooperation between Russia and Iran

The AP previously reported that Russia is secretly supplying Iran with improved ''Shahed'' drones, which it uses in the war against Ukraine. The upgraded drones have improved navigation, electronic warfare countermeasures, cameras and even elements of artificial intelligence. Some drones may have jet engines.

Earlier, the head of the European Union's foreign policy department, Kaia Kallas, said that Russia was transferring intelligence to Iran that helped Tehran attack US military sites in the Middle East.