Russian satellites likely gave Iran targeting edge against US assets: Report

Russian spy satellites likely provided Iran with intelligence that helped improve the precision of its attacks against US military assets in the Middle East, according to a CNN report aired Wednesday.

The report, citing US officials and other sources, said intelligence collected by Russia’s satellite network may have been shared with Tehran, giving Iranian forces information on the locations and movements of American military assets.

CNN focused on the March 27 Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, where 12 US personnel were reportedly injured and an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft was destroyed.

The report said Russia’s Cosmos 2573 spy satellite passed over the base two days before the attack, alongside 13 other Russian satellites. CNN’s analysis of orbital data suggested the satellites could have gathered complementary intelligence.

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According to the report, optical satellites could provide detailed imagery, while signals-intelligence satellites could detect radar and radio emissions, infrared satellites could identify heat signatures and synthetic aperture radar satellites could track changes through clouds and darkness.

Nawaf Obaid from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London said Russian assistance should be viewed in the context of US intelligence cooperation with Ukraine, describing Moscow’s actions as retaliation with potentially significant consequences for the regional security architecture.

“This is Russian payback with interest. It’s monumental in terms of the consequences of what this has done not just to the US standing in the region, but to the security architecture of the region going forward,” he said.

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