Transfer of intelligence data to Washington
The Israeli side passed information obtained by intelligence to the United States regarding the possible preparation by Iran to use chemical weapons. According to Tel Aviv's assessments, Tehran is actively working on technologies that would allow such munitions to be delivered via missiles or secretly moved to other countries.
The New York Times reports this, citing sources among American and regional officials.
Disagreements within the US administration
The received information provoked an ambiguous reaction in the US. Some American officials consider this threat serious. At the same time, others assume that Israel may be using this data as a tool to pressure the administration of President Donald Trump, with the aim of persuading it to return to conducting larger-scale military operations against Iran.
Reaction from Gulf states and expert assessment
Israel also shared part of the intelligence information with Gulf states. However, some representatives of these countries questioned the credibility of reports that Iran is preparing plans to use chemical weapons.
According to the publication's sources, Israeli intelligence believes that Iran is making progress in developing technologies for equipping missiles with chemical munitions or for their secret transfer to Israel or other countries.
At the same time, experts note that although placing a chemical substance on a ballistic missile is technically not difficult, ensuring its effective dispersal is significantly harder. The use of drones is also considered among possible delivery methods.
Historical context and Tehran's position
The topic of chemical weapons in Iran has been raised before. In 2003, the country acknowledged that it had developed corresponding capabilities during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s but stated that it subsequently eliminated them. In its annual intelligence assessments over the past few years, the US has noted that Iran likely intends to continue research and development in this area.
At the same time, Tehran denies possessing chemical weapons and calls such accusations part of information pressure from Israel.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!