At a meeting on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Manila, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov focused chiefly on Russia’s war in Ukraine. The meeting came amid reports alleging a broader Russian role in Iranian attacks on US military facilities in the Middle East. Reuters reported on Wednesday that US intelligence agencies began examining possible Russian involvement after Iranian drone strikes hit several targets, including a CIA-related facility at the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Officials cited by the report said the strikes’ effectiveness and precision could indicate Russian assistance.

CNN reported on March 6, citing US intelligence sources, that Moscow had been helping Tehran identify the locations of US personnel and military aircraft in the Gulf. Nicole Grajewski of Sciences Po’s Center for International Research said a Russian role in target selection was plausible because Iran’s space-based capabilities are limited, though Iran also has its own human intelligence network. She said Russian assistance had strengthened Iranian capabilities but that Iran’s own strategy appeared to have had greater influence on the course of the conflict.