US intelligence analysts are investigating whether Russia provided targeting data and advanced drone technology to Iran for attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf, including a March strike on the CIA station inside the US Embassy in Riyadh, in a finding that has not been previously disclosed and that four people familiar with US intelligence described to Reuters on Wednesday.
The investigation centres on two CIA sites struck in March: the CIA station in the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a separate facility in eastern Iraq. Additional CIA sites may also have been hit, though Reuters sources declined to provide details. A Western intelligence memo, described by an official with access to it, concluded Russia has likely played a role in targeting regional CIA facilities.
Two Western officials briefed on the intelligence said analysts believe the Riyadh attack involved a pair of Russian-enhanced Shahed drones. One blew a hole through a vulnerable part of the embassy exterior and a second flew through the opening and detonated. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Russia has reportedly supplied Iran with the Kometa-M satellite navigation system, which experts say is far more accurate and harder to jam than Iranian-produced alternatives. While Reuters and other outlets have previously reported Russian targeting support for Iranian strikes on US targets more broadly, the CIA-specific investigation has not been disclosed until now.
Former CIA station chief Daniel Hoffman said it would not be surprising for Moscow to help Tehran target CIA facilities, describing the two countries as sharing an interest in reducing or eliminating US influence in their designated spheres of influence.
