US officials differ over Israeli claims about Iran’s chemical weapons — Anadolu Agency

In Washington, US officials are assessing differently Israeli intelligence claims that Iran is allegedly considering the possibility of using chemical weapons against its adversaries. Anadolu Agency reports this, citing The New York Times.

Disagreements among US officials

Some US officials believe these claims are an attempt by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to persuade the administration of US President Donald Trump to resume large-scale military operations against Iran. Other officials urge that the warnings be taken seriously amid concerns about possible attacks by Tehran on US interests.

Israel has also conveyed these assessments to Persian Gulf countries. A regional official told The New York Times that the Israeli side presented assessments alleging that Iran was working to bring chemical weapons to combat readiness, but provided no corroborating evidence. The Gulf governments, according to the newspaper, did not find these claims convincing.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Diplomatic contacts and US preparations

US intelligence agencies have long monitored Iran’s chemical capabilities, but officials have no common position on whether Tehran is capable of effectively using such weapons and whether it would choose this option. Iran has repeatedly denied possessing chemical weapons and called such accusations an Israeli psychological warfare campaign.

Amid the disputes, Washington and Tehran are exploring diplomatic options to prevent a new escalation. At the same time, the United States is increasing its military presence in the region, while the US military is preparing for a possible resumption of strikes on Iran as early as Wednesday, subject to authorization from President Trump.