Cuando el ayatolá Alí Khamenei aceptó suministrar a Rusia sus drones Shahed para la guerra en Ucrania, en 2022, difícilmente calculó que esa transferencia tecnológica acabaría circulando en sentido inverso. Tres años después, Moscú devuelve el favor multiplicado: inteligencia satelital en tiempo real, componentes mejorados de los propios Shahed y asesoría táctica nacida del campo de batalla ucraniano. El destinatario es Irán, que desde el 28 de febrero de 2026 mantiene una guerra abierta con Estados Unidos e Israel.

El Wall Street Journal reveló este martes que Rusia ha intensificado la cooperación militar con Irán desde los primeros días del conflicto, proporcionando imágenes de satélite directamente al régimen de los ayatolás para mejorar la localización de fuerzas estadounidenses y sus aliados en la región. La información fue corroborada de forma independiente por CNN, NBC News y The Washington Post, que citaron a un alto oficial europeo de inteligencia y a un diplomático de Medio Oriente entre sus fuentes.

Rusia transfirió a Irán componentes de Shahed modificados para mejorar la comunicación, la navegación y la resistencia a la guerra electrónica, y complementó esa ayuda material con orientación táctica sobre cuántos drones deben emplearse en cada ataque y las altitudes de vuelo óptimas para penetrar defensas. Ambas capacidades son producto directo de la experiencia acumulada en Ucrania, donde las fuerzas rusas lanzaron más de 57.000 drones tipo Shahed desde el inicio de la invasión a gran escala, según datos de las autoridades ucranianas. Fue en Ucrania donde los ingenieros rusos añadieron recubrimientos para vuelos nocturnos, ojivas termobáricas y sistemas de navegación resistentes al bloqueo de señales.

Las imágenes satelitales proceden de la red de satélites militares gestionada por las Fuerzas Aeroespaciales rusas, conocidas por su acrónimo VKS. A diferencia de los satélites de reconocimiento propios de Irán —escasos y de capacidad limitada—, la rusa permite rastrear activos navales en movimiento, identificar emplazamientos de radar y mando, y evaluar los daños tras los impactos.

“Si esas imágenes contienen detalles sobre tipos de aeronaves, depósitos de munición, activos de defensa aérea o movimientos navales, eso le aportaría a Irán un valor de inteligencia real”, explicó Jim Lamson, investigador visitante en el King’s College de Londres y exanalista de la CIA especializado en el ejército iraní, a The Wall Street Journal.

El primero de marzo, un dron iraní destruyó el radar de alerta temprana del sistema de defensa Terminal de Alta Altitud, conocido como THAAD, en la base aérea jordana de Muwaffaq Salti. Ese mismo día, Irán atacó instalaciones militares en Bahréin, Kuwait y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. En Kuwait, un dron impactó el puerto de Shuaiba donde operaban tropas estadounidenses, matando a seis militares. La precisión de esos golpes, concentrados en sistemas de radar y mando y control, sorprendió a analistas que compararon los patrones con los ataques rusos en Ucrania.

“Los paquetes de ataque iraníes se han llegado a parecerse mucho a lo que hace Rusia”, señaló Nicole Grajewski, profesora del Instituto de Estudios Políticos de París, Sciences Po, y especialista en la cooperación entre ambos países, a The Wall Street Journal.

Rusia e Irán no mantienen un tratado de defensa mutua formal, pero desde la invasión rusa de Ucrania su relación se profundizó de manera sistemática: comisiones conjuntas de aprendizaje militar, delegaciones que se visitan con regularidad y entrenamiento de soldados. Moscú incluso construyó y lanzó uno de los satélites de reconocimiento más recientes de Teherán. Cuando Rusia comenzó a desplegar los Shahed sobre Ucrania, decenas de oficiales iraníes viajaron a Crimea para observar los efectos sobre ciudades y posiciones de primera línea, una visita técnica que anticipó la cooperación que hoy opera en el golfo Pérsico.

Esa cooperación tiene límites. El enviado especial de la Casa Blanca, Steve Witkoff, que lidera las negociaciones con Moscú, dijo esta semana que los funcionarios rusos le aseguraron no estar suministrando inteligencia para localizar objetivos. El propio presidente Donald Trump admitió que Rusia podría estar ayudando a Teherán “un poco”. Según varios analistas, el Kremlin dosifica su apoyo para no tensar la relación con la administración Trump.

“Las categorías de asistencia que Rusia proporciona son limitadas pero siguen siendo valiosas para la guerra y para la capacidad iraní de golpear emplazamientos militares específicos”, dijo Lamson a The Wall Street Journal.

Moscú también saca rédito del conflicto. El cierre del estrecho de Ormuz, por donde transita aproximadamente una quinta parte del petróleo y el gas natural licuado del mundo, empujó el precio del Brent por encima de los 100 dólares el barril en la primera semana de marzo. Esa subida es oxígeno para una economía que depende de los hidrocarburos para financiar la guerra en Ucrania. Al mismo tiempo, el ritmo de interceptaciones en el Golfo drena el inventario de misiles interceptores de Estados Unidos y sus aliados que Kiev necesita para su propia defensa aérea.

Samuel Charap, titular de la cátedra de Rusia y Eurasia del Instituto RAND, resumió la lógica del Kremlin: Moscú ve en el conflicto una oportunidad para cobrar una deuda pendiente. “Es una ocasión para darnos una dosis de nuestra propia medicina en términos de lo que EEUU le proporciona a Ucrania en apoyo de inteligencia”, afirmó Charap.

Nigeria suicide bombings killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100 others in Maiduguri, officials said Tuesday, as a Christian nonprofit leader warned the violence highlights ongoing religious persecution.

The Associated Press reported that one of the deadliest attacks on Maiduguri in recent history involved explosions in crowded areas on Monday night, including a major market in the capital of Borno state and the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Borno police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement that the wounded «sustained varying degrees of injuries,» blaming the attacks on suspected suicide bombers.

President Bola Tinubu, who departed Nigeria on Tuesday for a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom, offered condolences to the victims and instructed security chiefs to «take charge of the situation» in Maiduguri.

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«The Monday attacks were desperate acts of the evil-minded terrorist groups,» Tinubu said. «Our gallant military and civilian task forces will curtail and put them down.»

While no group has claimed responsibility, the AP reported suspicion has fallen on the Boko Haram jihadi group, which launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 to enforce its radical interpretation of Shariah law.

Since launching its insurgency, Boko Haram has grown stronger, with thousands of fighters and multiple factions, some aligned with the Islamic State group.

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Funeral for Boko Haram victims in Yobe, Nigeria (Stringer/Reuters)

The explosions on Monday night began at about 7:30 p.m. at the entrance of the teaching hospital. A few minutes later, a second and third blast followed at the Monday Market and a nearby post office hub, both about 2.5 miles from the hospital.

Caleb Jonah, who survived the explosion at the hospital entrance, told the AP he suffered injuries to his legs and hands.

«I was coming to the hospital to check (in on) a patient when I saw two men struggling with the security men at the gate,» Jonah said. «Before I could process what was going on I heard the deafening blast and I passed out.»

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Nigerian soldiers drive around in pick-ups during training at a military base in Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025.   (Joris Bolomey/AFP via Getty Images)

Brad Brandon, CEO and founder of Across Nigeria, said the attack was personal. His organization is committed to transforming Nigeria and the surrounding regions by sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ, according to the group’s website.

«As the CEO and founder of Across Nigeria, these recent attacks in Maiduguri are personal and a stark reminder that the devastating violence continues in northern Nigeria,» he said in a statement. «This is the result of radical Islamic groups that are allowed to operate unchecked. The only question is, how many more must be killed, before the world wakes up to the genocide that slaughters thousands of Christians every year.»

«We condemn these violent acts and the perpetrators who commit them,» he added. «We also call on the U.S. Government to intervene and the media to embrace their role in bringing light to the hidden things of darkness.»

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While Maiduguri has been at the center of deadly violence in Nigeria, it has experienced relative peace in recent years, even as extremists batter the countryside.

Monday’s attack took place less than 24 hours after the Nigerian military repelled attacks by militants outside Maiduguri.

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By Tuesday morning, heavy security had been deployed to the affected locations and along major roads.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The White House is digging in against congressional Democrats, revealing several compromises the administration has been willing to make on immigration enforcement to end the government shutdown.

In a letter from a White House official obtained by Fox News Digital, the administration laid out five key concessions to congressional Democrats who have continued to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a bid to get stringent reforms to immigration operations.

It’s the first peek behind the closely guarded veil of the funding stalemate and comes after congressional Democrats broke the ice with yet another counteroffer to the White House late Monday night, which the administration balked at as the shutdown entered its 32nd day.

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«The Democrats have once again responded with a counteroffer that does not indicate the seriousness that this moment needs,» a senior White House official said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., countered that the White House wasn’t negotiating seriously, either.

«The issue is, they’re not getting serious,» Schumer said. «The key issues of warrants when you bust into someone’s house, the key issue of identity of police and no masks, they haven’t budged on those.»

The letter, sent to Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Katie Britt, R-Ala., included compromises on several demands that have been a top priority for Schumer and Democrats but notably lacked requirements for agents to obtain judicial warrants and demands that agents go maskless.

«The use of administrative warrants is a long-standing practice for administrations, and ultimately that will be a subject of future conversations, but the administration is unwilling to return to the Biden status quo of open borders,» the official said.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned that Senate Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS would have consequences.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Still, the letter did check off several asks for Democrats, including expanding the use of body-worn cameras for DHS agents, save for agents in undercover operations, coupled with plans to hold onto the footage to allow for more congressional oversight.

The Trump administration also offered to limit immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, including hospitals and schools, with exceptions to national security, flight risks and public safety. The administration also plans to adhere to congressional oversight of DHS detention facilities and vowed to enforce the use of visible identification for DHS agents.

Another compromise was to ensure that any U.S. citizens are not deported and plans to codify not «knowingly detaining a U.S. citizen, except when the person violates a state or federal law that makes the citizen subject to arrest.»

Democrats’ counter did little to move the needle for Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., characterized the White House’s compromises as going «above and beyond» and noted the administration had made offers to raise spending on body-worn cameras to $100 million and «include audits by the Inspector General, you know, and reviews for non-compliance.»

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«I mean, there’s a whole bunch of stuff in there that they’re just things that, in my view, have been significant gives on the part of the White House, but the Democrats seem intent on dragging out this political issue,» Thune said.

And Britt, who Thune tapped to lead negotiations on behalf of the GOP, said she was still trying to get Democrats in a room to negotiate.

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Britt told Fox News Digital she believed «there are many of my Democratic colleagues» that wanted to find a way out of the shutdown, too, and noted that during the 43-day shutdown there had been talks happening the whole time.

«I mean, it’s past time for us to do that, and so I’m going to keep pushing it,» she said. «But do you realize that, how many days into this — and we have yet to sit down and talk about it — I mean it’s actual insanity.»