Hegseth Warns Russia To Stay Out Of Iran Conflict

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that Russia should not become involved in the ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Speaking during a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth addressed reports about President Donald Trump’s recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and made clear that the message delivered to Moscow was that the conflict should remain limited to the current parties involved.

“I was not on the call, but those that were said it was a strong call,” Hegseth told reporters. “It reaffirmed the opportunity for peace in Russia and Ukraine and also made clear that as it pertains to this conflict, they should not be involved.”

The comments come after reports last week suggesting that Russia may have provided Iran with intelligence about American assets and positions in the Middle East.

U.S. officials said that information may have helped Tehran attempt attacks against American defense systems deployed in the region.

President Trump also discussed his conversation with Putin during a press conference in South Florida on Monday.

Trump said the Russian leader expressed interest in helping end the conflict involving Iran, but the president responded that Moscow should focus first on ending its war with Ukraine.

“He wants to be helpful,” Trump said of Putin. “I told him you can be more helpful by ending the war in Ukraine.”

Trump also said Putin appeared impressed by the scale of American military operations currently underway against Iran.

“We talked about that with President Putin,” Trump said. “He was very impressed with what he saw.”

The United States and Israel have been conducting a large scale military campaign targeting Iran’s missile systems, military infrastructure, and weapons production facilities.

Publicly, however, Putin has expressed support for Iran and recently congratulated the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Trump previously criticized the younger Khamenei, calling him a “lightweight” and questioning whether he could lead Iran in a stable direction.

Iranian state media have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei may have been seriously injured during recent American and Israeli strikes that killed several members of the country’s ruling leadership.

Hegseth declined to comment on those reports during Tuesday’s briefing.

Iran and Russia have maintained close ties for years, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Tehran has supplied Moscow with Shahed drones that Russia has used extensively in attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Despite the alliance, Russia has so far avoided taking direct action against the United States in response to the Iran campaign.

When asked last week about reports that Russia had been sharing intelligence with Iran, Trump dismissed the criticism and suggested similar accusations could be made against the United States.

“They would say we do it against them,” Trump said, referencing American intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Ukraine has also sent military experts to assist U.S. and Middle Eastern partners in defending against Iranian drone technology.

At the same time, Trump has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the course of the war with Russia.

“I think Putin is ready to make a deal,” Trump said in a recent interview. “Zelensky has to get on the ball and get a deal done.”

“Nothing has changed since my meeting with him where I said you do not have the cards,” Trump added. “Now he has even fewer cards.”