Report lays bare extent Russia is helping Iran kill US troops as Trump eases sanctions

Russia has provided Iran with similar intelligence that the U.S. and Europe provide Ukraine, according to a new Wall Street Journal report published on Tuesday.

Iran has received information from Russia about the locations of American military forces and its allies across the Middle East, including satellite images and improved Shahed drone technology, an officer and Middle Eastern diplomat told The Journal.

"Russia is trying to keep its closest Middle Eastern partner in the fight against U.S. and Israeli military might and prolong a war that is benefiting Russia militarily and economically," according to The Journal.

Moscow has also used its own experience in the war against Ukraine and offered Tehran advice on how it should operate its drones, giving insights on how many to use and what altitudes it should plan to strike its targets, sources said, including a senior European intelligence leader.

Jim Lamson, a visiting research fellow at King’s College London and former CIA analyst who has focused on the Iranian military, described why the move would aid Tehran.

“If there are details in those images that the Russians are providing, say, of specific types of aircraft, munitions sites, air defense assets, and naval movements, that have intel value to the Iranians, that would really help them,” Lamson told The Journal.

Trump has said that Russia could be helping Iran "a bit," but his administration has denied that it was providing direct information on American drone strike locations.

Last week, the Trump administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil at sea, allowing it to be shipped to buyers worldwide, in an effort to contain energy prices that have soared due to the Iran war.