Dispute in Washington over CIA data on Iran
The US government is increasing its military presence in the Persian Gulf and withdrawing its diplomats from Iraq. How real is the “Iranian threat”? We are witnessing differences of opinion in Washington.
Images of missiles aboard small boats in the Persian Gulf have apparently been the main reason for the US's approach towards the Islamic Republic in recent days. It was based on these images, among other things, that the United States declared Iran a growing threat in the region.
The photos appear to have fueled concerns that the missiles could be fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from its warships, The New York Times reported, citing three US government officials.
But there are apparently differences of opinion, both in the White House and the Pentagon and among US allies, on how serious the threatening situation is and what Iran is really planning.
Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assess this information and intelligence data as evidence that Iran is planning an attack on American facilities.
According to Der Spiegel Online, however, other high-ranking US government officials, some Republican and Democratic representatives in the US Congress, and European allies have a different assessment: They see the actions of the Islamic Republic regime as more of a defensive reaction to Washington's provocations.
Lack of evidence of Iran's role in sabotage of commercial ships in Fujairah
Even Trump has become a little more cautious, according to Der Spiegel Online, citing the Washington Post. He is worried that Bolton and Pompeo could lead to a military conflict with Iran, which would violate his campaign promises that the United States should end costly and destructive wars.
The CIA and Pentagon have not yet released the images. One is said to show a wooden barge carrying operational Iranian missiles. Other images show how the Revolutionary Guards are transporting missiles on barges at several Iranian ports.
On the other hand, American secret and intelligence services have been informed of conversations between the Revolutionary Guard Corps and foreign militias, and apparently, in these conversations, they have very specifically discussed attacks against American targets.
But officials from U.S. allies have warned of caution, saying Iran does not have “absolute control” over its allied militias in the Middle East, according to the Washington Post.
U.S. intelligence agencies have gathered intelligence about possible Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, according to U.S. officials. But they have not yet found conclusive evidence that the Islamic Republic was involved in the bombings of four oil tankers in the United Arab Emirates' port of Fujairah, and the investigation is still ongoing.
Reactions to the withdrawal of US diplomats from Iraq
The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its support fleet are currently transiting the Gulf of Oman towards the Strait of Hormuz on their way to the Persian Gulf waters.
Yesterday, Wednesday, May 15, the US State Department announced that it would withdraw some of its embassy personnel from Iraq. However, a senior US official assessed the move as a hasty reaction influenced by intelligence data.
Trump tweeted on Wednesday before two articles were published in American newspapers, calling the reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times fake.
The articles in these two newspapers dealt with a power struggle within the US government regarding US policy in the Middle East. Trump said in his tweet that there is no such power struggle within his administration.
However, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, has stated to reporters that the House will not authorize the Trump administration to go to war against Iran.
Pelosi insisted that the Republican Trump administration should provide "classified information" about Iran to senior lawmakers, known as the "Group of Eight."
The "Group of Eight" is composed of the heads of the Republican and Democratic factions in the Senate and the House of Representatives, the spokespeople for both parties, as well as the heads of the security committees of these two chambers and their deputies.
Source: DW
