WASHINGTON — Iran has been pursuing damaging intelligence against the US from Iran and China to undermine Operation Epic Fury attacks, CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed Wednesday.
Numerous reports have alleged that the Russians have been feeding intelligence, including satellite imagery and other data on the position of US assets, to help Iran target American forces in the Middle East.
Moscow has denied those accusations both publicly and privately to Washington, with special envoy Steve Witkoff suggesting that “we can take them at their word.”
“No, I don’t take Vladimir Putin at his word,” Ratcliffe told Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) when asked about Witkoff’s suggestion.
“The Iranians are requesting intelligence assistance from Russia, from China, and from other adversaries of the United States, and whether or not those countries are is something we can talk about in the classified portion,” Ratcliffe told the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday during a public hearing.
Senators on the panel peppered the top intelligence honchos about the 2026 annual threat assessment. After the public hearing, lawmakers on the committee attended a classified one. Concerns about the ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine dominated Wednesday’s hearing on global threats.
Similar to Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declined to publicly confirm that Russia has, in fact, given sensitive intelligence to Iran to help it target American assets.
“If there is that sharing going on, that would be an answer that would be appropriate for a closed session,” Gabbard said during an earlier exchange with Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).
She also noted that “any support that Iran may be receiving is not inhibiting their operational effects.”
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov ripped into a Wall Street Journal report about Russia feeding satellite imagery and better drone technology to Iran as “fake news.”
Given the denials from Russia, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, bemoaned Gabbard’s and Ratcliffe’s decision not to publicly confirm reporting on it.
“I am very disappointed this is the one time of year the public gets to hear from you guys in this kind of setting,” he said. “We have repeated public reporting, including a major story in the Wall Street Journal today about China and Russia assisting Iran, which seems obvious and evident.”
“And none of you would confirm that publicly.”
Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) chided that the “media is not a classification authority,” but sharing intelligence with Iran to undermine the US “certainly sounds like something Russia and China would do.”
President Trump has downplayed fears of Russia helping Iran, noting that the US has done it to them and chiding that “they’re not doing a very good job because Iran is not doing too well.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly claimed that Russia and China “have always helped us,” but declined to “give details in the middle of a war.”
