Reuters claim: Iran may receive information from Russia and China

Reuters, citing American officials, claimed that Iran may have received information from Russia and China to advance its regional goals.

Reuters wrote: On April 6, an attack hit a building that housed ADNOC's critical oil transportation equipment. This issue was determined based on the analysis of Reuters satellite images and the confirmation of Warik and a person familiar with the structure of Fujairah port.

Then on May 4, Iran again attacked Fujairah with a drone, smashing a set of pipes connected to the first network manifold damaged in March.

The main alternative route for transporting UAE crude oil and bypassing the Strait of Hormuz has once again caught fire.

But more importantly, the export of refined petroleum products from Fujairah was effectively stopped for a month. According to Kepler data, from the day of the attack to June 1, only one ship left port.

Two months apart, Iran's attacks targeted a small area that was vital to the Fujairah operation. This port allows the UAE to bypass the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Satellite image: Pleiades Neo, 2026.

Exports of refined petroleum products did not recover until September.

The UAE confirmed the Iranian drone strike on May 4. Iran also targeted at least one other target in the UAE, the Barakah nuclear power plant, on May 17.

Then in June, the UAE agreed to release at least $10 billion of frozen Iranian assets in the country's banking system. Four sources familiar with the deal told Reuters at the time that $3 billion was freed up.

According to two of these sources, in return, Iran agreed to stop attacks on the UAE.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE denied the existence of any agreement and declared in a statement: "None of the frozen assets of Iran were transferred or facilitated through the Free Emirates."

A senior Iranian official confirmed the transfer of the funds in August, but told Reuters the transaction was unrelated to the attacks on the UAE. According to him, this action was taken because of "correcting the behavior of the UAE".

Since May 17, no report of an attack on UAE infrastructure has been published.

In September, at the same time as ADNOC tankers were bombed in the sea by Iran, the total monthly export of Fujairah reached a record of 2.62 million barrels per day. The export of refined fuel and crude oil flowed from this port at an unprecedented level.

American officials believe that Iran may have received information from Russia and China.

In addition, according to three officials familiar with the matter - one from Iran and two from the Persian Gulf countries - Iran relies on networks of informants with access to sensitive centers to obtain photos and location information.

In response to a question about the exchange of information, China's foreign ministry said Beijing has "consistently and strictly adhered to its international obligations".

Russia did not respond to a request for comment.

The three officials said that Iran had information about the internal map of the Barakeh nuclear power plant and the location of an electrical substation that was targeted at the plant.

The UAE announced that the drone that hit the nuclear power plant on May 17 was one of three drones sent by "armed groups in Iraq".

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the attack on the power station caused one of the four reactors of the power plant to rely on emergency diesel generators.

Images taken on June 16 - the earliest clear images Reuters was able to obtain - showed two damaged spots on the roof of a building that houses control equipment for the plant's power lines. This building was about 130 meters away from one of the reactors.

Even after some of the largest commercial satellite image providers stopped releasing new images of the region, Iran released satellite images that it claimed showed attacks on Persian Gulf infrastructure.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the attack showed a high level of awareness about the structure of the plant.

"This means that whoever was behind this attack, or is behind it now, knew exactly what they were doing," Grossi said during a June 2 visit to the UAE.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Company, which runs the plant, did not deny the damage analysis.

The International Atomic Energy Agency also did not respond to a request for comment.

Emirates Nuclear Energy said in a statement to Reuters: "The plant's safety systems and established procedures functioned as designed; "Nuclear safety was maintained, no one was injured, no radioactive material was released, radiation levels remained within normal limits, and there was no danger to people or the environment."