Drone strikes hitting CIA facilities in the Gulf region back in March 2026 have escalated into something far more consequential. US intelligence agencies are now actively investigating whether Russia helped Iran pull it off, according to a Reuters report published on July 22.
The targets were not obscure outposts. The CIA station housed within the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and a separate facility in eastern Iraq were both confirmed hit.
The Russia question
The core of the investigation centers on whether Russia provided Iran with targeting data or advanced drone technology that made these strikes possible.
A memo from a Western intelligence agency assessed that Russia “likely played a role” in the operations.
