MS NOW reported over the weekend that Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Iranian forces strike American ships, aircraft and bases in the region, according two U.S. officials, one whom said point-blank, “Russia is providing intelligence help to Iran.”

The Associated Press and The Washington Post had related reports, with the latter noting, “The assistance … signals that the rapidly expanding conflict now features one of America’s chief nuclear-armed competitors with exquisite intelligence capabilities.” On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker pressed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on this, and he made no effort to deny the accuracy of the reporting, emphasizing that Iran’s “strategic partnership” with Russia is “not a secret.”.....

If we were to stop here, it would be a striking story about a Republican administration that has expressed little more than indifference to serious allegations. But as it turns out, Team Trump isn’t just shrugging its shoulders about Russia’s aid to Iran during the war, it’s also taking steps that would benefit Russia as it aids Iran during the war. Reuters reported:

Trump administration ​officials on Sunday defended a decision to temporarily lift some sanctions on Russian oil and predicted that a sharp increase in ‌gasoline prices resulting from the Iran war would last only weeks.

Appearing on multiple TV talk shows, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said a waiver issued last week to allow Indian purchases of Russian oil would alleviate pressure on the global market.

(It’s worth noting for context that Trump has publicly boasted about getting India to stop buying Russian oil, including at a White House press conference in late February. So much for that idea.)....

Around the same time, on “Meet the Press,” Welker asked the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations about why the Republican administration would choose to help Russia right now.

“I wouldn’t characterize it that way,” Waltz replied.

WELKER: Why is Trump helping Russia in this moment?

WALTZ:I wouldn't characterize it that way

WELKER: How else would you describe easing oil sanctions?

WALTZ: It's common sense to allow oil sitting on ships to go to India

WELKER: Russia will be getting that money as it wages its war in Ukraine

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-08T14:17:27.030Z

.....This hasn’t gone unnoticed on Capitol Hill.

“Russia is our adversary,” Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told MS NOW last week. “They hate us and what the U.S. stands for. The White House has had a moral blindness when it comes to Putin and Russia.”

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, a former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, added, “This is an intolerable escalation by the Kremlin — one they must come to deeply regret. I call on the administration to impose swift and severe consequences for this blatant attempt to endanger American lives.”

The White House appears to have come to the opposite conclusion.

It’s been about nine days since multiple news organizations, including MS NOW, reported that Russia provided Iran with information that could help it strike American targets. One U.S. official told MS NOW point-blank, “Russia is providing intelligence help to Iran.”....

The question is less about whether Russia has assisted Iran and more about what Donald Trump intends to do about it.

The initial reaction from the American president and his team was to express total indifference, despite the severity of the allegations. This was soon followed by news out of the White House that the Republican administration agreed effectively to reward Vladimir Putin’s regime by temporarily easing oil sanctions on the country — twice.....

But in case this weren’t quite ridiculous enough, Trump has continued to find new ways to make the problem worse. In his latest interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, for example, the president conceded that he believes Russia “might be” assisting Iran, but said Putin’s regime deserves a pass because the United States has assisted Ukraine.

KILMEADE: You think Putin is helping Iran?

TRUMP: I think he might be helping them a little bit, yeah, & he probably thinks we're helping Ukraine, right?

K: You are, right?

T: Yeah, we're helping them also, & so he says that, & China would say the same thing. It's like, hey, they do it & we do it

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-13T15:16:10.560Z

.....Just so we’re clear, the incumbent American president, during a war, is both echoing Putin’s talking points for him and excusing an adversary for helping a different adversary target American troops and assets.

If there’s a precedent for anything like this, I’m not aware of it. Trump is no doubt aware of concerns that he has been compromised by Moscow, and he’s not exactly going out of his way to temper those fears.

As for the White House’s decision to offer Russia sanctions relief while it helps Iran target Americans, the move hasn’t just drawn criticisms from Capitol Hill, including from Democrats and some Republicans, but it also has generated pushback from some of the same countries in the region that Trump has “demanded” help from.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Putin “can barely conceal a smirk” as the war in Iran continues. There’s little question as to why.