Exclusive-Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role

Written by: Jonathan Landay, Gram Slattery and Timour Azhari

WASHINGTON/RIYADH, July 22 (Reuters) – Iran’s drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have led U.S. intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia was helping by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology, four people familiar with U.S. intelligence said.

U.S. intelligence officials have not yet drawn firm conclusions about Russia’s possible involvement in attacks on CIA facilities, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters. But they cited “the effectiveness and precision of the attacks, as well as Russia’s broader technical support for Iran” as possible evidence.

Reuters and other media outlets have reported that Russia has provided targeting and other support to Iran in its attacks on US targets in the Gulf region generally, and US officials have acknowledged this, but the intelligence community’s investigation into Russia’s possible role in supporting the CIA facility attacks has not previously been disclosed.

At least two CIA sites were hit in March, Reuters and other media reported. One of the facilities was the CIA station in Saudi Arabia, located at the US embassy in Riyadh, and a separate facility was located in eastern Iraq. Some of the sources said other CIA sites were also hacked, but they did not disclose details.

RUSSIA HELPED THE TARGET FACILITIES: INTELLIGENCE NOTE

An internal memo from a Western intelligence agency, released by an official in the region with access to the document, concludes that Russia likely played a role in targeting regional CIA facilities. The official discussed the memo on the condition that its exact authorship would not be disclosed.

Two Western officials briefed on intelligence reports in the Gulf said analysts thought the Saudi attack involved a pair of Russian-developed versions of Iran’s Shahed drones. They said one of the planes punched a hole in a sensitive part of the embassy’s exterior, while the other flew through the opening and blew it up. No deaths or injuries were reported.

While Russian aid to Iran has long been ongoing, given the countries’ close ties, the specific targeting of sensitive CIA sites suggests Moscow is willing to go further in disrupting U.S. operations as Washington seeks to end the Iran war.

Concerns that Russia could provide targeting data to Iran intensified this weekend following an attack on a US air base in Jordan, in which Iran hit army barracks with ballistic missiles, killing two soldiers.

The White House referred a request for comment to the CIA, but the CIA declined to do so.

Iran’s mission to the UN, the Russian Defense Ministry and the Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment.

HIDDEN SITES

Russia helped Iran improve the ability of Shahed drones to hit targets, two Western officials in the region said, and analysts suspected Iran of using those versions in its attack on Riyadh.

A separate source said Russia helped Tehran improve the accuracy of Shahed-136s by providing Tehran with a satellite navigation system (Kometa-M). Experts say it is much more accurate and harder to corrupt than the one produced by Iran.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in March that Russia had supplied Kometa-M to Iran. ‌The Kremlin denied the news, calling it “fake news”.

CIA facilities abroad include the agency’s main offices in individual countries, called stations, traditionally housed in embassies. Additionally, the CIA maintains offices, safe houses, logistics centers, and fields for surveillance or other operations.

The locations of these sites are closely guarded secrets.

The sources declined to disclose the exact number or location of CIA facilities hit by Iranian drones. One source puts the number at “more than one and less than a dozen.” A second source said that many facilities were hit.

RUSSIAN TARGETING DATA?

U.S. intelligence analysts are investigating whether Iran relied on Russian targeting data for the embassy attack, the sources said.

But doubts remain. Some of the sources warned that Iran may have targeted the US embassy in general and hit the CIA station by chance.

According to sources, some analysts have concluded that few countries other than Russia would have the means and interest to weaponize such precision targeting intelligence against the United States.

Former CIA station chief and covert operations officer Daniel Hoffman said it would not be surprising if Moscow helped Tehran target CIA facilities, given their close strategic partnership.

“They have a common interest in trying to completely reduce or eliminate U.S. influence in their designated areas of influence,” he said.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery and Jonathan Landay in Washington and Timour Azhari in Riyadh; Editing by Don Durfee and Rod Nickel)