Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a joint news conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, in Moscow, Monday, March 16, 2026. -

AP Photo

Last updated: 14 hours ago

Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday firmly denied that Moscow is providing intelligence support to Iran, amid accusations from the European Union that Russia is aiding Tehran in targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Lavrov told France Television that Russia and Iran maintain “very close relations” under a military-technical cooperation agreement and confirmed that Moscow had supplied Tehran with “certain types of military products.”

He insisted, however, that allegations of providing intelligence are baseless, noting that the locations of U.S. military bases in the region are publicly available.

“We cannot accept the accusations that we’re helping Iran with intelligence,” he said.

Western criticism and regional context

Lavrov criticized senior U.S. officials for speaking “with bravado” about targeting Iranian leaders, calling it cynicism.

He framed Iranian attacks on U.S. and regional targets as reactions to American and Israeli actions, arguing they are consequences of breaches of international law.

Lavrov stressed that Russia’s cooperation with Iran remains within legal, transparent frameworks, rejecting parallels with Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Background

The remarks come after the EU’s top diplomat accused Russia of assisting Iran to “kill Americans,” urging the U.S. to increase pressure on Moscow.

Tensions between East and West continue to rise as Moscow and Tehran maintain strategic ties amid escalating regional conflicts.

Additional sources • other agencies

Russia reject claims of giving secret information to Iran

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