US President Donald Trump has suggested that Russian leader Vladimir Putin may be quietly assisting Iran during the ongoing war involving the United States and Israel.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News Radio aired on Friday, Trump said he believed Moscow might be offering some level of support to Tehran.
“I think he might be helping him a little bit, yeah, I guess. And he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump said.
Several US media outlets have reported that Russia may have provided targeting intelligence to Iran for attacks against American forces during the conflict.
The remarks come as Washington intensifies its military campaign against Tehran. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States and Israel have carried out a massive wave of strikes since launching an air offensive on February 28.
According to Hegseth, the joint operation has hit more than 15,000 targets across Iran.
“Between our air force and that of the Israelis, over 15,000 enemy targets have been struck. That’s well over 1,000 a day,” he told reporters, adding that Friday could see the heaviest round of attacks so far.
Hegseth said the strikes had significantly weakened Iran’s ability to retaliate.
He noted that Iranian missile launchers, drones and other weapons systems were being destroyed or intercepted, leading to a dramatic drop in attacks. Missile launches have fallen by around 90 percent, while drone strikes have declined by about 95 percent, he said.
The Pentagon chief also claimed that Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded during the February 28 strike that killed his father, Ali Khamenei.
Iranian officials have confirmed Mojtaba Khamenei was injured but have not disclosed further details. He has not been seen publicly since taking over the country’s leadership.
Meanwhile, the conflict has rattled global energy markets after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global oil supplies.
About one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through the narrow waterway. Oil prices briefly surged above $100 per barrel earlier this week, while stock markets fluctuated amid fears of a prolonged disruption.
Despite the concerns, Hegseth downplayed the risk of a long-term crisis in the strait.
“They are exercising sheer desperation in the Strait of Hormuz… something we’re dealing with,” he said.
Iranian officials, however, have warned that pressure on shipping through the strategic chokepoint could continue if attacks on the country persist.
