Israel has shared intelligence with the US indicating that Iran is considering using chemical weapons against its enemies, The New York Times reported Tuesday. According to the report, which cited officials who spoke to the newspaper, the intelligence alarmed some US officials who reviewed it, while others expressed serious doubts about its credibility.
Several US officials said they viewed the intelligence as part of a pressure campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at persuading the Trump administration to re-enter the war with Iran. Other officials, however, believed the warnings should be taken seriously, particularly in light of recent intelligence indicating that Iran has been preparing for a possible US attack.
According to the report, Israel also shared the intelligence with senior officials in Gulf states. Some of those officials questioned whether Iran had any plans to use chemical weapons, also believing that Israel was attempting to pressure the US and its allies to resume the war.
US suspicions that Iran might have a chemical weapons program, or intend to establish one, date back to 2003. Iran has acknowledged developing chemical weapons capabilities during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s but said it subsequently abandoned the program.
In recent years, the US has publicly disclosed intelligence suggesting Iran's "apparent willingness" to continue researching and developing chemical weapons. Iran has publicly denied possessing chemical weapons and has previously characterized such allegations as part of a psychological warfare campaign waged against it by Netanyahu and Israel.
