Russia reportedly offers to halt intel sharing with Iran if US stops with Ukraine
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Russia has issued a new ultimatum, proposing to halt intelligence-sharing with Iran if the United States does the same for Ukraine, Politico reported on March 20, citing two people familiar with the U.S.-Russia negotiations.
The U.S. has reportedly rejected the proposal.
Testifying before Congress on March 18, John Ratcliffe, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), confirmed that Iran was asking Russia to share intelligence on American military assets in the Middle East.
Days earlier, on March 7, U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed the idea that intelligence sharing between Iran and Russia posed a threat to the U.S., claiming that "it's not doing much."
However, some reports have pointed to heightened U.S. concern over the matter.
The Washington Post reported on March 8 that the U.S. was moving components of its air defense systems from South Korea to the Middle East as tensions linked to the war with Iran intensified throughout the Gulf.
The disclosure of Iran-Russia intelligence sharing also followed remarks by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, a central figure in negotiations between Washington and Moscow, who said on March 10 that Russia had denied doing so and added that he believed the U.S. could "take them at their word."
Trump's administration has previously threatened to cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine when it saw that peace negotiations had stalled.
While the Russian proposal has reportedly unsettled some European Union diplomats, one official, speaking to Politico, sought to play down its significance, saying that France now provides "two-thirds" of Ukraine's military intelligence.
