Katerina Chernovol20:30, 04/16/24
Arian Tabatabai works in the office that oversees special operations and irregular warfare.
While the United States was coordinating international efforts to protect Israel from attack by Iran , an Iranian agent was working in the Pentagon.
The Washington Times writes about this . Assistant Secretary of Defense Christopher Meyer told lawmakers last week during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that Ariane Tabatabai remained employed in the office that oversees special operations and irregular warfare, despite lawmakers’ concerns that the official was an agent. Iranian regime.
Suspicions among lawmakers about Ms. Tabatabai’s potential collaboration with the Iranian regime began last year when media published hundreds of emails from Iranian diplomats between 2003 and 2021 that included references to her. In September, a group of 31 Republican senators wrote a letter to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding answers about Arian Tabatabai’s work at the Pentagon.
Concerns about Ms. Tabatabai resurfaced on Capitol Hill last week. Then Senator Tom Cotton said that the Department of Defense only assured lawmakers that protocols would be followed regarding the work of the official suspected of having ties to Iran. However, Congress received no more information.
It is unclear whether Tabatabai had any information about the Pentagon’s efforts to counter Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend. National security officials began briefing President Biden on threats from Iran more than ten days ago, according to a senior US official.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, where Arian Tabatabai works, manages classified programs and has knowledge of American forces operating in close proximity to Iranian proxies, said Garrett Exner, a fellow at the Hudson Institute. The presence of a suspected Iranian agent could also jeopardize diplomatic relations with America’s allies.
Jewish National Security Institute of America official Gabriel Noronha says he was told by Pentagon officials that European counterparts refused to participate in meetings with Ms. Tabatabai, given concerns about leaking sensitive information. The Pentagon needs to rethink its approach to security investigations, he said.
“In Ms. Tabatabai’s case, the public evidence is clear: she has close family ties and professional ties to the top leadership of the regime, which should disqualify her from receiving access to state secrets, which is a privilege, not a right,” Noronha stressed.
Biden administration officials have previously dismissed concerns about Ms. Tabatabai. A Pentagon official told The Times in September that she had been thoroughly and properly vetted and that the US government was “honored to have her in service.”
Iran attack on Israel
For more than a week, Western media, citing various sources, warned that Iran was preparing a strike against Israel in response to an attack on its facility in Damascus (Syria).
On the night of April 14, Iran attacked Israel with missiles and drones. Thanks to the joint efforts of Israel and international partners, it was possible to shoot down 99% of all targets flying towards Israeli territory.
Axios writes that Israel has no choice but to respond to the unprecedented missile and drone attack carried out by Iran over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Joe Biden administration and several other Western countries that are allies of Israel are urging Benjamin Netanyahu’s government not to rush into revenge against Iran, which could lead to a regional war.
(c)UNIAN 2024
Pentagon: The Iranian spy will not be fired. NO COMMENT.
Or maybe:
Pentagon: Our source for valuable informations from powerful Iranians who talk too much won’t be fired.
Actually, that’s the more likely version, given the public criticism. Lloyd Austin doesn’t impress me as secretary of defence, but he most probably ain’t a total idiot. 🤔
If this Iranian is a spy, then she could be an ideal tool for spreading false info she is fed, unless the Pentagon is really full of idiots.
Pentagon: And the Russian spies work at the Ukranian Departement, because they speak Russian too…………..
“The Washington Times writes about this”
Ain’t that the “newspaper” owned by the Moon Sect? Yes, it is, I rechecked this at Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Times
So, not exactly a trustworthy source, I remain sceptical. Anyway, fact is that Iran apparently never managed to upset an US/Israeli secret operation. Quite to the contrary, it looks like someone, possibly Mrs. Tabatabai, managed to get highly valuable infos about the locations of leading regime heads and about planned strikes. That probably explains why the criticism-sensitive Pentagon insists on keeping her employed. She may even have warned the Israelis about the iranian airstrike! 🤨
Note that the Washington Times is known as a questionable source.
The headline says “an Iranian agent”, and that’s repeated further down, but reading on, it says “a suspected Iranian agent” and goes on to say that “she had been thoroughly and properly vetted.”