‘Wouldn’t be of much help to them’: Trump downplays reports of Russia sharing intelligence with Iran

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Saturday played down reports that Russia may be sharing intelligence with Iran to help target US troops in the Middle East, saying such information “would not be of much help to Iran” as the conflict continues to escalate.Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Miami that even if Moscow provided targeting information to Tehran, it would be of little use on the battlefield.“I hope they don’t. If you look at what happened in Iran last week, if they get information, it doesn’t do them much good,” Trump said.The U.S. president did not confirm reports that U.S. intelligence agencies believe Russia may have provided Iran with information targeting U.S. military personnel and assets in the region.However, he said that even if such intelligence sharing occurred, Iran would gain little from it.Asked whether Russia’s aid to Iran would affect U.S.-Russian relations, Trump dismissed the concern.“They’re going to say we’re doing this against them,” Trump responded. “Won’t they say we’re doing this against them?”Trump made the remarks after attending a solemn handover ceremony for six U.S. Army reservists killed in a drone strike in Kuwait, a day after the United States and Israel launched military action against Iran.A week-long conflict has escalated rapidly across the Middle East, roiling global markets and raising concerns about energy supplies.Trump’s remarks came days after the U.S. Treasury Department announced a 30-day exemption allowing India to continue buying crude oil and petroleum products from Russia.The decision drew criticism from lawmakers in Washington.Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., posted on X criticizing the move and urging the administration to reverse the decision.“Reverse your decision to lift sanctions on Russian oil. It is treason for you to help Russia,” Liu said. “At the same time, Russia is assisting Iran in targeting U.S. forces.”India, however, insists it does not need any country’s permission to buy Russian oil.PTI quoted a senior government official as saying that the US exemption only removes friction and does not affect India’s energy policy.The conflict with Iran also caused a sharp rise in global oil prices. The war has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage that carries about 20 million barrels of oil a day from the Persian Gulf to global markets.Supplies from some of the world’s largest oil producers have been affected as ships are unable to navigate safely and key energy facilities in the region are damaged.

Trump rules out use of Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Asked whether the United States would tap into its Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to mitigate rising oil prices, Trump appeared to dismiss the idea for now.“We have a lot of oil. Our country has huge reserves of oil,” Trump said. “There’s a lot of oil in there. It’ll heal quickly.”The reserves currently hold more than 415 million barrels of crude oil, but have a total capacity of more than 700 million barrels.Trump also said he was willing to take additional steps to stabilize prices if needed, saying “if anything, I would do that just to take a little bit of the pressure off.”