US suspects Israel of misleading Washington about Iran's intentions — NYT
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
Israel shared intelligence with the US, indicating that Iran is considering a scenario in which it would use chemical weapons against its adversaries in the Middle East. However, this information only sparked a new rift in the White House, according to The New York Times.
The warnings from Tel Aviv have sparked concern among some US officials, while others have viewed them with serious skepticism.
Some US officials believe that the information provided is part of a pressure campaign by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Its goal is to convince the Donald Trump administration to resume large-scale military operations against Iran.
At the same time, other officials are convinced that these reports cannot be ignored. They point to recent warnings about Iran’s preparations for attacks on US interests.
Israel has also shared some of the intelligence with representatives of Gulf countries. However, some of them have expressed skepticism that Tehran is actually developing plans to use chemical weapons. In their view, Israel is trying to persuade the US and its allies to return to a more active phase of hostilities.
Accusations against Iran regarding the possession of chemical weapons or intentions to develop them have been voiced by the US for several decades. As early as 2003, Tehran acknowledged that it had developed relevant military capabilities during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, but assured that it had subsequently abandoned them.
At the same time, in recent years, annual public assessments by US intelligence have noted that Iran is likely seeking to continue research and development in the field of chemical weapons.
Tehran itself denies possessing such weapons. Previously, Iranian authorities have called such accusations a psychological operation allegedly carried out by Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu personally.
Incidentally, Axios recently revealed the scenarios Trump was considering regarding a war in the Middle East.
Qatar is currently promoting a new peace plan for the US and Iran.
