Lynn Schmidt: Putin helps Iran; Americans die. That's not 'inconsequential'

Lynn Schmidt, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Mar 16, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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In one weekend, a series of ominous dots was laid out regarding the United States, Iran, and Russia. Once connected, the picture that forms is damning and chilling.

Russian President Vladimir Putin counted his winnings, America mourned its dead, and the U.S. president, astonishingly, shrugged it off as trivial.

Last Saturday morning President Donald Trump stood on the Dover Air Force Base tarmac, wearing a cap as he saluted six flag-draped transfer cases — Army reservists of the 103rd Sustainment Command from Des Moines, Iowa, killed when an Iranian drone struck a makeshift facility housing U.S. troops in Kuwait.

Just the Friday before, The Washington Post reported — and U.S. intelligence officials confirmed — that Russia has been providing Iran with information about the locations and movements of American troops, ships, and aircraft, including imagery from Moscow's sophisticated constellation of overhead satellites.

But the Russia-Iran alliance goes beyond just satellite images. In the years leading up to the war, Moscow systematically transferred combat aviation, air defense systems, and ground equipment to Tehran.

The Financial Times reported that on Feb. 23, Iran had agreed to a €500 million deal with Russia to acquire advanced shoulder-fired missiles. The Verba launch units, a type of system known as a Man-Portable Air-Defense System (MANPADS), can fire an infrared-guided missile capable of targeting cruise missiles, low-flying aircraft, and drones.

In addition to hardware, Russia also shared something infinitely more dangerous: years of operational feedback, relentless engineering iteration, and brutal battlefield learning from Ukraine. This hard-won knowledge has made Iranian drones far deadlier and almost impossible to stop.

The drones killing Americans in Kuwait are the direct and chilling result of that partnership.

After the dignified transfer at Dover, Trump boarded Air Force One, flew to Miami, and told reporters that Russia's intelligence assistance to Iran — which helped Iran kill those soldiers — was “inconsequential.”

That word “inconsequential” uttered from the president of the United States should haunt and anger all of us.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the alleged intelligence sharing “is not making any difference with respect to the military operations in Iran,” while declining to say whether Trump had even raised the matter with Putin.

CBS's Major Garrett asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about Russia's intelligence-sharing. Hegseth replied that Trump "has an incredible knack at knowing how to mitigate those risks."

When Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Trump about Russia helping Iran, the president replied: “What a stupid question to be asking at this time.”

A stupid question — about a foreign adversary feeding targeting data to an enemy killing American soldiers.

Meanwhile, Trump is easing pressure on Russia. That same Friday, the administration announced it would temporarily allow India to keep buying crude oil and petroleum products from Russia until April 4.

Taken together, those dots form a damning picture. Putin expects to reap enormous benefits from the Iran war: higher energy revenues from a disrupted Strait of Hormuz, global distraction from Ukraine now in its fifth year, and the steady depletion of U.S. missile defense stocks that would otherwise flow to Kyiv.

The U.S. has even gone so far as to ask Ukraine for help defending the U.S. and Israel against Iranian drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky had made clear Ukraine would help on condition that its own defense was not weakened and that there were diplomatic gains for Kyiv, suggesting that Ukraine would be willing to swap its interceptor drones for more U.S. Patriot air defenses to protect against Russian ballistic missiles.

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas put it plainly, posting on X: “Iran armed Russia with lethal drones to massacre Ukrainians, and now Putin is reportedly returning the favor by providing Iran with intelligence meant to help target and kill Americans. Once again, Putin is making clear that he has no respect for President Trump's sincere efforts to secure peace.”

McCaul is right, but he is missing the more uncomfortable truth: Putin may have concluded he doesn't need to respect Trump's efforts, because Trump's actions keep proving he doesn't.

This conduct is not of a commander-in-chief regarding Russia as adversary, but of a man determined, against evidence, to keep Putin’s favor.

Six soldiers came home to Dover in flag-draped cases. Putin collected a windfall. Congressional Republicans remain complicity silent. And the president dared to call it "inconsequential."

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