US investigating possible Russian role in Iranian drone attacks on CIA sites: Reuters
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US intelligence analysts are investigating whether Russia assisted Iran in conducting precise drone strikes on CIA facilities across the Gulf region, according to four people familiar with the matter cited by Reuters.
The inquiry focuses on potential Russian provision of targeting information or advanced drone technology, though officials have not yet reached firm conclusions.
The investigation, previously undisclosed, centers on Iranian drone attacks in March that hit at least two CIA sites, including the agency's station housed within the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and another in eastern Iraq, according to Reuters.
Sources indicated additional facilities may have been targeted, though exact details remain classified, with one estimating "more than one and fewer than a dozen."
In the Riyadh incident, analysts believe a pair of Russian-enhanced Shahed drones was used.
One drone reportedly breached a vulnerable section of the embassy's exterior wall, allowing a second to fly through the opening and detonate inside.
No casualties were reported in that strike, but parts of the building were left "unrecoverable."
A Western intelligence memo, as described by a regional official, concluded that Russia likely played a role in targeting these sensitive CIA sites.
US analysts are examining whether Moscow supplied specific targeting data, given the strikes' apparent precision against closely guarded locations.
Russia has provided broader support to Iran during the ongoing conflict, including satellite imagery, intelligence on US military assets, and enhancements to Iran's Shahed-136 drones via systems like the more accurate and jam-resistant Kometa-M navigation technology.
Ukrainian assessments and other reports have highlighted Russian satellite surveys of regional targets in the weeks surrounding key Iranian strikes.
"This specific targeting of sensitive CIA sites would indicate Moscow is willing to go further in disrupting US operations," the report said.
The revelations come as the US and Iran continue exchanging strikes over the Strait of Hormuz.
