Jerusalem: The Pentagon has denied claims that Ariane Tabatabai, chief of staff to assistant secretary of defence for special operations, is under investigation for allegedly leaking classified documents about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran.
This comes after a report by Sky News Arabia, which cited an unnamed senior Pentagon official, suggesting that Tabatabai was the main suspect in the FBI’s investigation into the leaks.
Pentagon denies Ariane Tabatabai’s involvement in plan leak
At a press briefing, Air Force Maj Gen Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary, addressed these allegations. “To my knowledge, this official is not a subject of interest,” Ryder said. He confirmed that FBI is investigating the situation, but denied that Tabatabai is involved.
Earlier reports from Sky News raised concerns about Tabatabai’s connections to Iran. The news outlet referenced a previous incident from 2023 when members of US Congress urged defence secretary Lloyd Austin to remove Tabatabai from her position due to alleged communications with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). However, despite these concerns, no action was taken at the time, and she remained in her role.
The leaked documents reportedly included Israel’s plans for a retaliatory strike against Iran following an attack. According to reports, Israel had a military plan ready, waiting only for approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch the strike.
The leak of this sensitive information caused a stir, prompting Pentagon and FBI to launch investigations.
Who is Ariana Tabatabai?
Before joining US department of defence, Ariana Tabatabai was a researcher at Rand Corporation and taught at Georgetown University. She also played a role in US-Iran negotiations during discussions on Iran’s nuclear program. Despite past accusations of sympathising with Iran, Tabatabai has maintained her position and top-secret security clearance.
The FBI, in cooperation with department of defence, is actively investigating the leak. Defence secretary Austin has also been in contact with his Israeli counterpart, defence minister Yoav Gallant, regarding the situation.
