Mar 20, 2026 17:30 pm IST

Opinion | Is Chinese And Russian Intel Helping Iran 'Behind The Scenes'?

Iran's successful hitting of US military bases and energy infrastructure in the Gulf suggests that Russian help is much more than what Trump described as "a bit".

Naresh Kaushik Naresh Kaushik Columnist

Naresh Kaushik Columnist

Earlier this month, Donald Trump described the United States and Israel's ongoing war with Iran as a "little excursion" that he said would finish pretty quickly. "We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil," Trump told Republican lawmakers in Florida. But the war has already gone into its third week, with Iran appearing to be setting its tone, course and even duration.

There is no doubt that Iran has suffered significant losses. Its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated, along with over 40 senior officials, on the first day of the war. The National Security Advisor, Ali Larijani, was killed on Monday, and the Intelligence Minister, Ismail Khatib, a day later, in Israel's policy of decapitating Iran's regime with the aim of inciting an uprising. Khamenei's son and the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba, has not been seen in public since his appointment amid reports that he has been seriously injured. Relentless American and Israeli attacks have destroyed a large part, if not most, of Iran's military infrastructure. Israel has also inflicted major damage on Iran's oil and gas facilities in an attempt to cripple its economy.

But these setbacks have not deterred Iran, which has escalated the war with attacks not only on Israel and US diplomatic and military installations but also on civilian targets across the Gulf, including airports, hotels, and energy infrastructure. Trump now says he is surprised by Iran's retaliation, despite his military commanders' warning him beforehand of the exact scenario. On Tuesday, Trump's top counterterrorism official, Joe Kent, resigned over the war, urging the president to "reverse course." He claimed that Trump "started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby." 

The Russia And China Hand

If you look at their public statements, Moscow and Beijing have only provided diplomatic support to Iran, condemned the invasion and the killing of its head of state, the Supreme Leader Khamenei. They have also called for de-escalation and even criticised Iran for attacking Gulf countries. But their support for Tehran runs much........

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