Trump’s Best Bud Putin Is Helping Iran Attack American Forces
Surprise, surprise: Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again stabbed Donald Trump in the back—but this time, it wasn’t about the war in Ukraine, it was about Iran. Russia has been helping Iran target the locations of U.S. military assets, including warships and aircraft, three officials told The Washington Post Friday.“It does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort,” one official told the Post. It was unclear exactly how much assistance Russia was providing, as Iran’s targeting capabilities have weakened significantly since strikes from the U.S. and Israel began last week. But Nicole Grajewski, a scholar on Iran’s cooperation with Russia at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, suggested that Iran’s strikes against U.S. forces indicate a high level of sophistication.“They’re getting through air defenses,” Grajewski told the Post, noting that Iran appeared to have become more advanced since it responded to Israeli strikes last summer.In addition to the CIA’s station in the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Iran has also attacked command and control infrastructure, radars, and temporary structures, such as the one where six U.S. service members were killed. This is the first indication that another U.S. adversary has entered the spiraling regional conflict in the Middle East—and it’s the one with nuclear capabilities and an extensive intelligence network. Earlier this week, when asked about whether he had a message to China or Russia—some of Iran’s biggest backers—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “They’re not really a factor here.”During his second term, Trump’s long-standing fondness for Putin has been increasingly put under strain, as Moscow has repeatedly gone back on public agreements to spare Ukrainians and delayed negotiations to end Russia’s violent incursion there.