“These images subsequently appear in Iran.” That was Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim on X, and it was aimed squarely at Moscow. The Ukrainian president said Russian satellites had been watching Gulf states and the American bases in them, and that the pictures were ending up with Tehran.
His timeline was specific. Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and US military sites, he wrote, had been active “since the beginning of July”. He cited July 19 and 20 as an example: four air bases fell within the area of interest of Russian satellites in those two days, two in Bahrain, one in Jordan and one in Kuwait.
The detail that matters is the pattern he drew. Kyiv, Zelensky said, saw a “clear correlation” between Russian imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes, with pictures turning up before attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward to assess the damage.
A claim that followed Caspian strikes
The accusation, made on July 25, followed Zelensky’s announcement that Ukraine had hit vessels in the Caspian Sea. He described “very strong results with long-range strikes”, including ships carrying military cargo that involved Iran, and a warship. Ukrainian intelligence separately reported drone attacks on sanctioned cargo vessels moving military freight between Iran and Russia. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the Caspian attack “a blatant UN Charter violation” and said it “CANNOT GO UNANSWERED”.
Trump: “I’ll ask Putin”
Two days later, on July 27, reporters put the allegation to Donald Trump aboard Air Force One and asked what Washington planned to do. The reply was not a policy. “We’ll find out if that’s true,” he said. “I’ll ask Putin about it.”
He then played down the whole matter. “I don’t think they’ve been doing it. Certainly not at a high level, and if they have, it has been very unimpactful,” Trump said. As to why, he pointed to the war itself: “It hasn’t had much impact because we’ve knocked the hell out of (Iran).” He also reached for Venezuela, where, he said, Russia had supplied a lot of equipment. “How did that work out? Not too good.”
The Kyiv Independent noted that this was familiar ground. Russia has allegedly given Iran intelligence and weapons since the US-Israeli war began, and the White House has consistently minimised its role. Trump conceded in March that Russia might be helping Iran “a little bit”. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress on April 30 that Russia is supporting Iran in the war.
Inside the administration
The administration’s own voices have not lined up neatly. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that Russia and China were “enabling some of the things Iran is doing”, while saying classified specifics should stay private. Trump, by Dawn’s account, then said he did not think either country was assisting Iran, claiming Putin and Xi Jinping had told him otherwise.
Fox News, in a piece published on August 4, reported that a White House official argued any outside help had not improved Iran’s targeting. It also carried a Reuters report that China might send shoulder-fired air-defense missiles to Iran through Pakistan, which both Beijing and Islamabad denied. Trump said he was surprised by that report and that Xi had assured him China would stay out of the conflict. Fox quoted analysts who suggested the public dismissals might cover private warnings to adversaries, though some cautioned against writing off Russian and Chinese support altogether.
Sources
- Trump says he'll 'ask Putin' about Russia helping Iran target US bases in Middle East
- Zelensky claims Russia helped Iran target US bases in Gulf
- Why Trump is downplaying reports Russia and China are helping Iran
