Disagreement in Washington over CIA Data on Iran

The U.S. government has increased its military presence in the Persian Gulf and is withdrawing its diplomats from Iraq. How real is the “threatening danger of Iran”? In Washington, we are witnessing differences of opinion.

Images of missiles mounted on small boats in the Persian Gulf appear to be the main reason behind U.S. approaches toward the Islamic Republic in recent days. It is on the basis of these images that the United States has declared Iran to be an increasing threat in the region.

The photos seem to have fueled concerns that these missiles could be fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and from their warships. The New York Times reported this news citing three U.S. government officials.

However, it appears that there are disagreements both in the White House and Pentagon and among U.S. allies regarding how serious the threatening situation is and what Iran has actually designed.

John Bolton, Trump’s National Security Advisor, and Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, interpret this intelligence and classified service data as evidence that Iran is planning an attack on American facilities.

According to Spiegel Online, however, other high-ranking U.S. government officials, some Republican and Democratic representatives in the U.S. Congress, and European allies have a different assessment: they view the actions of the Islamic Republic regime as largely defensive reactions to provocations from Washington.

Lack of Evidence of Iran’s Role in Sabotage of Commercial Ships in Fujairah

According to Spiegel Online citing the Washington Post, even Trump has become somewhat more cautious in this regard. He is concerned about being drawn into a military confrontation with Iran through Bolton and Pompeo. And this would violate his electoral promises that America should end costly and damaging wars.

So far, the CIA and Pentagon have not made these images public. It is reported that one of the images shows a wooden patrol boat that was carrying operational Iranian missiles. Other images show how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps transferred missiles onto patrol boats at several ports in Iran.

On the other hand, U.S. intelligence and secret services have learned of conversations between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and foreign militias, and apparently in these conversations they discussed attacks against American targets quite explicitly.

However, officials from U.S. ally countries have warned in this regard that caution should be exercised. According to the Washington Post, these officials say that Iran does not have “absolute control” over its allied militias in the Middle East region.

According to U.S. officials, U.S. intelligence services have gathered information about potential Iranian attacks on commercial ships. However, they have not yet obtained definitive evidence of the Islamic Republic’s involvement in the explosive attacks on four oil tankers in Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates, and investigations are still ongoing.

Reactions to the Withdrawal of American Diplomats from Iraq

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its support fleets are currently passing through the Gulf of Oman en route to the Strait of Hormuz to enter the Persian Gulf waters.

On Wednesday, May 15, the U.S. State Department also announced that it would withdraw some of its embassy personnel from Iraq. However, a high-ranking American official described this measure as a hasty reaction influenced by intelligence service data.

Before the publication of two articles in American newspapers, Trump posted a tweet on Wednesday calling the reports of the two newspapers Washington Post and New York Times fake.

The articles of these two newspapers dealt with a power struggle within the U.S. government regarding American policy in the Middle East. In his tweet, Trump said there is no such power struggle in his government apparatus.

In any case, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, stated to reporters that the House will not grant the Trump administration authorization for war against Iran.
Pelosi emphasized that the Republican Trump administration must provide “classified information” about Iran to senior lawmakers, known as the “Gang of Eight.”

The “Gang of Eight” consists of the leaders of the Republican and Democratic party factions in the Senate and House of Representatives, spokespersons of the two parties, as well as the heads of the security committees of these two chambers and their deputies.

Source: DW