PNN – During a visit to Moscow, the CIA Director urged Russian officials to scale back their military and economic support for Iran.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; Politico reported—citing two informed sources—that CIA Director John Ratcliffe, during a secret and unannounced visit to Moscow, asked Russian officials to refrain from escalating tensions with U.S. allies in NATO, particularly the Baltic States.
According to these sources, Ratcliffe also sought during the visit to persuade Russia to reduce its military and economic support for Iran.
An informed source stated: The primary objective of this meeting was to warn Russia against any escalatory actions targeting the Baltic States.
According to a Politico report, the CIA Director also urged Russian officials to curtail or halt the transfer of weaponry and defense technologies to Iran. A British official familiar with the visit confirmed this account.
The British official noted that Ratcliffe advised Moscow to avoid an “overreaction” should Russia be affected by U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow—which the U.S. government had not officially confirmed as of Wednesday morning—sparked widespread speculation in Washington and Europe. It marks the first known visit by a CIA director to the Russian capital during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Responding to reports about the trip, Trump dismissed the idea that the visit was an attempt to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin not to test NATO’s resolve or attack the UK, describing the trip instead as “fairly routine.”
However, the U.S. President emphasized that the purpose of the visit was to help bring the war in Ukraine to an end. Trump stated: We want the war in Ukraine to end.
According to Politico, Ratcliffe’s visit took place as Russia and Ukraine have intensified their drone and missile attacks, and amid growing concerns regarding potential military action or hybrid warfare operations by Russia against NATO member states.
Meanwhile, the issue of Iran was raised during Ratcliffe’s talks with Russian officials at a time when the Trump administration has intensified its sanctions pressure on Tehran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously threatened to impose broader sanctions on countries that failed to sever their economic ties with Iran.
According to Politico, during the meeting, Ratcliffe called for a halt to the transfer of Russian weaponry and defense technologies to Iran and discussed the implications of U.S. sanctions with Russian officials.