WASHINGTON - Six days into Operation Epic Fury, former US Ambassador Richard Kauzlarich told Kyiv Post that reported Russian intelligence support for Tehran could mark a serious escalation, especially if it contributes to attacks on US personnel or facilities in the region.
Kauzlarich, a former US ambassador and now a visiting professor at George Mason University, said he was not surprised by reports that Moscow may be helping Iran with targeting intelligence.
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“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin would see providing information to Iran as just a natural reaction,” Kauzlarich said. “If [the US] can do it to Ukraine, [Russia] can do it to Iran.”
Still, he said such cooperation could affect US policy toward Russia.
Kauzlarich said that in the past, Washington would have quickly confronted Moscow through diplomatic channels and demanded an end to such activity.
Kauzlarich warned that the issue could become much more serious if Russian-provided intelligence were linked to successful Iranian attacks on US targets.
“If this leads to the deaths of American service people or destruction of American embassies, I think we have a real problem in our relationship with Russia,” he said.
The White House, however, has so far sought to play down the immediate significance of the reports. Asked about Russia apparently providing intelligence to Iran, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said US intelligence agencies were monitoring the matter, but argued it had not changed the military course of the campaign.
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