NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump on Saturday downplayed reports that Russia may have shared intelligence with Iran to help target US forces in the Middle East, saying such information “doesn’t help Iran much” as the conflict continues to escalate.Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Miami, Trump noted that even if Moscow provided Tehran with targeting information, it made little difference on the battlefield.
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“I hope they’re not,” Trump said. “If you look at what happened to Iran last week, if they’re getting information, it doesn’t help them much.”
The US President did not confirm reports that US intelligence agencies believe Russia may have provided Iran with information to target US military personnel and assets in the region.
However, he noted that even if this intelligence sharing took place, Iran gained little from it.When asked whether Russian aid to Iran could affect US-Russian relations, Trump dismissed the concern.Trump responded: “They’ll say we’re doing it against them.” “Don’t they say we’re doing it against them?”Trump made the remarks after attending a dignified transfer ceremony for six US Army reservists killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, a day after the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran.
The week-long conflict has escalated rapidly across the Middle East, shaking global markets and raising concerns about energy supplies.Trump’s comments also came days after the US Treasury Department announced a 30-day waiver allowing India to continue purchasing crude oil and petroleum products from Russia.The decision sparked criticism from lawmakers in Washington.Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California criticized the move in a post on X, urging the administration to reverse the decision.Liu said, “Retract your decision to lift oil sanctions on Russia. Helping Russia is treasonous behavior.” “At the same time, Russia is helping Iran target American forces.”However, India stressed that it does not need permission from any country to buy Russian oil.According to PTI, quoting a senior government official, the US exemption only serves to remove friction rather than shaping India’s energy policy.The Iranian conflict also caused global oil prices to rise sharply. The war has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage that transports about 20 million barrels of oil daily from the Persian Gulf to global markets.With ships unable to safely navigate the route and major energy facilities in the region damaged, supplies from some of the world’s largest oil producers have been affected.
Trump rules out the use of the Strategic Oil Reserve
When asked whether the United States would tap its strategic petroleum reserve to mitigate rising oil prices, Trump appeared to reject the idea for now.“We have a lot of oil. Our country has a tremendous amount,” Trump said. “There’s a lot of oil in there. It will heal very quickly.”The reserve currently contains more than 415 million barrels of crude oil, although its total capacity exceeds 700 million barrels.Trump also indicated that he was open to taking other steps to stabilize prices if necessary, saying: “If there are some steps, I will do that, just to take the pressure off a little bit.”
