Iranian attacks on CIA facilities in Gulf prompts probe into Russian assistance
July 23, 2026 4 Comments
INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS IN THE United States are looking into the possibility that Russia may have given Iranian targeters information about the location of secret Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) facilities in the Gulf. According to the Reuters news agency, Iran has managed to strike “several” CIA facilities in at least three countries in the Middle East in the past few months. Some of the strikes appear to have been surgically targeted at specific buildings, and even parts of buildings.
The CIA maintains official stations inside American embassy facilities throughout the Gulf. But the agency also manages an extensive network of offices, logistics hubs, safe houses, and surveillance or other operational facilities throughout the region. The location of these facilities is highly classified and compartmentalized even within the CIA itself. According to intelligence sources cited by Reuters, few nations other than Russia possess the necessary resources to map the precise locations of CIA facilities and the desire to share them with Tehran.
Citing “four people familiar with US intelligence”, Reuters said that Iran has managed to successfully target “more than one and fewer than a dozen” CIA facilities in the Gulf since March. Among them is a secret facility in Iraq, as well as the CIA station in Saudi Arabia, which is located inside the US embassy complex in Riyadh. According to reports, Tehran deployed an advanced version of its Shahed and Mohajer drones to demolish the exterior wall of the CIA station before another set of kamikaze drones burst into the interior of the facility. Some analysts believe that the kinetic capabilities of the drones used in the attack had been enhanced using Russian technical expertise.
The Reuters report added that Moscow has a longstanding intelligence-sharing relationship with Iran and has been known to provide Tehran with targeting information and other forms of support. This relationship only strengthened since the onset of the current war between the US, Israel, and Iran. However, the report states that intelligence officials have yet to draw firm conclusions about Russia’s precise role in the Iranian attacks on CIA facilities.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 23 July 2026 | Research credit: M.J. | Permalink
intelNews.org 
Ya think? CCCP helping an enemy of USA?
Of course the Russians help their long-standing allies with intel, just like the CIA does the same with theirs. Nothing new here.
Reminds me of Da Nang, S. Vietnam.
I was new at the time, and I was ordered to deliver something to the CIA compound. After putting up with nonsensical directions, I stopped and asked an old man where such and such address was. He had no idea until the said, “Oh you want CIA” and he told me how where it was.
Russia and the PRC probably both know, but I’d ask the locals, too.
Great article from Professor Fitsanakis. There are even more extensive networks and implication in this matter.
The Russo-Ukrainian War and Israel-Iran conflicts have sped up Russia’s capabilities and habit of providing targetting intelligence.
Targets are not only CIA regional assets, but US Army, USN, USAF regional bases DIA also NSA sigint collection bases all hosted by US embassies and behind US military walls. All the Arab Gulf states have been targets. Even UK bases in Cyprus have bean targets,
Also Russian targetting intelligence to Iran has been sent on to Iran’s allies/proxies (eg. Houthis) so they can hit all of the above, hit Israel and shipping (Red Sea, Horn of Africa, Persian Gulf).
It needs to be said that the US has continuously supplied targetting data to Israel for decades – way back to the Arab-Israeli War of 1967 and even earlier.