US analysts examine possible Russian role in Iranian strikes on CIA sites

WASHINGTON: US intelligence analysts are investigating whether Russia helped Iran carry out drone strikes on CIA facilities in the Gulf by supplying targeting information or advanced drone technology, according to four people familiar with US intelligence.

The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of national security matters, said US officials have not reached firm conclusions on possible Russian involvement. They said the effectiveness and apparent precision of the attacks, along with Russia’s broader technical backing for Iran, were among the factors drawing scrutiny.

Reuters and other outlets have previously reported, and US officials have acknowledged, that Russia has provided targeting and other support to Iran in its attacks on US targets in the Gulf region more broadly. However, the investigation into whether Moscow directly supported the strikes on CIA facilities has not been previously disclosed.

At least two CIA locations were hit in March, according to Reuters and other reports. One of them was the CIA station in Saudi Arabia, based inside the US embassy in Riyadh, while another site was in eastern Iraq. Some of the sources said more CIA facilities were also struck, though they did not provide further details.

Intelligence assessments and drone questions

An internal memo from a Western intelligence agency, described by a regional official who had access to the document, concluded that Russia had likely played a role in helping target CIA facilities in the region. The official spoke on condition that the exact authorship of the memo not be revealed.

Two Western officials in the Gulf who had been briefed on intelligence reporting said analysts believed the Saudi attack involved two Russian-enhanced variants of Iran’s Shahed drones. They said one drone punched a hole through a vulnerable section of the embassy’s exterior, and the second flew through that opening before exploding. No deaths or injuries were reported.

The same two officials said Russia had helped Iran improve the range of its Shahed drones and that analysts suspected such versions were used in the Riyadh strike. A separate source said Moscow had assisted Tehran in increasing the accuracy of its Shahed-136 drones by providing the Kometa-M satellite navigation system, which experts say is more accurate and more resistant to jamming than Iran’s own system.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in March that Russia had supplied Kometa-M to Iran. The Kremlin rejected that report, calling it

fake news.

Uncertainty over targeting data

The sources said US analysts have also been examining whether Iran relied on Russian targeting data in the embassy strike. But they cautioned that uncertainty remains. Some said Iran may have been aiming at the US embassy more generally and could have hit the CIA station by chance.

According to the sources, some analysts believe very few countries other than Russia would have both the capability to obtain such sensitive targeting intelligence and the motivation to weaponise it against the United States.

The exact number and locations of CIA facilities struck were not disclosed. One source said the total was more than one and fewer than a dozen, while another said several facilities had been hit. CIA facilities overseas include country stations usually located inside embassies, as well as offices, safe houses, logistics hubs and sites used for surveillance or other operations, with those locations kept closely guarded.

Concern that Russia may be giving Iran targeting data has sharpened after strikes over the weekend on a US air base in Jordan, where Iran hit army barracks with ballistic missiles, killing two soldiers.

The White House referred a request for comment to the CIA, which declined to comment. Iran’s mission to the United Nations, the Russian Defence Ministry and the Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment.

Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA station chief and undercover operations officer, said such cooperation would fit the strategic relationship between Moscow and Tehran.

They share an interest in trying to reduce or eliminate US influence altogether in their self-designated spheres of influence,