The Washington Post reported Friday that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence to attack U.S. troops and military assets in the Middle East. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, declined to comment on the intelligence accusations, as did the CIA and Pentagon.
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) responded to the report: “Putin has been ‘playing’ the White House all along. Most of us have seen it and called it out, but the Administration refuses to see reality.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) responded with a message to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who announced this week that the U.S. has granted India a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil and may un-sanction other Russian oil soon.
[NOTE: Pro-Ukrainian U.S. lawmakers, including Bacon, have said for years that the sale of Russian oil to countries including India is funding Putin’s war against Ukraine. In agreement, President Trump recently used tariff pressure to force India to curtail its Russian oil purchases, though the administration now sees the waiver as necessary to offset the oil supply problems caused by the war in Iran.]
Congressman Lieu wrote: “Dear @SecScottBessent: Conservative and mainstream outlets have confirmed that Russia is giving intelligence info to Iran that helps Iran target American forces. Reverse your decision to lift oil sanctions on Russia. It is traitorous conduct for you to help Russia.”
Dear @SecScottBessent: Conservative and mainstream outlets have confirmed that Russia is giving intelligence info to Iran that helps Iran target American forces.
Reverse your decision to lift oil sanctions on Russia. It is traitorous conduct for you to help Russia. https://t.co/aBMKWO6jh5
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 7, 2026
As seen below, Bessent told Larry Kudlow on Fox Business that after the U.S. told India to stop buying Russian oil, “they were going to substitute it with U.S. oil, but to ease the temporary gap of oil around the world, we have given them permission to accept the Russian oil. We may un-sanction other Russian oil.”
He added that during the “current conflict” — the U.S. and Israel military strikes on Iran — the Treasury “can create supply” of oil by “unsanctioning” the barrels of crude on the water.
Bessent: “We may unsanction other Russian oil” pic.twitter.com/gNcU5GpCEf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2026