Has Russia helped Iran target CIA sites in the Gulf?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Manila on Thursday took place amid renewed scrutiny of whether Russia may have helped Iran strike US intelligence-linked sites in the Gulf. Although Ukraine was described as the official focus of the talks, the report said recent accounts have raised questions about Moscow’s possible role in Iranian attacks on US military and CIA-associated facilities during the US-Israel war with Iran.

According to Al Jazeera, early reports said Iran had targeted a CIA station inside the US embassy in Riyadh. The article cited earlier reporting by The Washington Post and CNN, including claims that US intelligence sources believed Moscow had assisted Tehran in identifying US personnel and aircraft in the Gulf. Reuters later reported that Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities, including at the embassy in Saudi Arabia, led US intelligence agencies to examine possible Russian involvement because of the strikes’ apparent accuracy.

Nicole Grajewski of Sciences Po told Al Jazeera that Russian assistance was a plausible explanation, arguing that some Iranian attacks appeared more sophisticated than previous operations and that Russia has stronger space-based capabilities. She also cautioned that Iran has its own regional intelligence networks, which may contribute to target selection.

The report placed the issue within broader Russia-Iran military cooperation, noting Tehran’s supply of drones and missiles to Moscow after the Ukraine invasion and a 20-year strategic partnership treaty. Al Jazeera also reported that US and Iranian strikes have recently intensified, while Grajewski said any Russian help would likely improve Iran’s capabilities rather than determine the conflict’s course.