Segun Atanda/
The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran widened sharply on Friday after reports that Russia has begun supplying Tehran with intelligence to help target American military assets in the Middle East, even as Donald J. Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender”.
According to a report by The Washington Post, citing three officials familiar with the intelligence, Moscow has been passing Tehran information on the locations of American warships and aircraft across the region.
The assistance marks the first known instance of another major U.S. adversary indirectly participating in the war.
Officials said the targeting information has included coordinates of U.S. military platforms deployed in the Middle East, a move that could significantly complicate Washington’s operations as the conflict intensifies.
The extent of Russia’s support remains unclear, and the Kremlin has not publicly confirmed the intelligence sharing.
However, analysts say the development could signal a broader geopolitical escalation if Moscow becomes more deeply involved.
The report emerged shortly after Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Tehran in a social media post, declaring that negotiations would only occur if Iran agreed to surrender unconditionally.
“There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender,” Trump wrote, adding that once a “great and acceptable leader” emerges in Tehran, the United States and its allies would work to rebuild the country’s economy.
The statement came as Washington defended its decision to enter the war alongside Israel following a series of strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure and missile facilities.
The conflict erupted after joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran against Israeli territory and American positions in the region.
Israeli airstrikes have since pounded sites in Iran and Lebanon while the United States reportedly targeted Iranian naval assets, including a drone carrier at sea.
Iran has also expanded its retaliation beyond Israel, launching attacks against countries hosting U.S. forces across the Gulf, as the fighting spreads into a wider regional confrontation.
Despite Tehran’s extensive network of allied militias across the Middle East, Iran has so far refrained from fully mobilising many of its proxy forces.
For decades, Iranian strategists invested billions of dollars in building and training foreign fighters across the region, including militias in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere, precisely for moments of direct confrontation with Washington and its allies.
However, those groups have largely remained on standby, awaiting direct instructions from Tehran as the war enters its second week.
The alleged Russian intelligence support underscores fears among Western officials that the war could evolve into a broader confrontation between rival global blocs.
With Russia already locked in a prolonged confrontation with the West over Ukraine, any confirmed military cooperation with Iran in targeting U.S. forces would represent a significant escalation in geopolitical tensions.
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict have so far failed, leaving the Middle East facing one of its most volatile military crises in decades.
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