{"id":2099354,"date":"2023-11-15T09:33:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T14:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-official-allegedly-part-of-covert-campaign-to-undermine-iranian-opposition-report\/"},"modified":"2023-11-15T09:35:09","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T14:35:09","slug":"biden-admin-official-allegedly-part-of-covert-campaign-to-undermine-iranian-opposition-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-official-allegedly-part-of-covert-campaign-to-undermine-iranian-opposition-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Biden Admin Official Accused of Undermining Iranian Opposition in Covert Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-admin-official-allegedly-part-of-covert-campaign-to-undermine-iranian-opposition-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2099354&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Pentagon Aide Accused of Covert Campaign to Undermine Critics of Iran<\/h2>\n<p>In\u2063 a recent report sent to \u200dPresident Joe Biden, a Pentagon aide\u200b born in Iran,\u2064 Ariane Tabatabai, has been accused of being involved in a &#8220;covert campaign&#8221; within \u2063the United States aimed\u200b at undermining influential critics of Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the explosive allegations \u200dpublished in Semafor\u200d earlier this fall, Tabatabai has managed to retain her security clearance, as reported by \u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/pentagon-allows-alleged-member-of-iranian-influence-operation-to-keep-security-clearance-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Wire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The operation allegedly began in \u20642014 when Iran established the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), a propaganda and influence campaign that\u2062 recruited \u2062talented individuals from the Iranian diaspora to help\u200b secure a favorable nuclear deal. The group reported to an official from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization, with the\u2063 involvement of Iran&#8217;s former \u200dForeign Minister Javad Zarif.<\/p>\n<p>According to a report by University of Baltimore professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan, published by\u200b the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/11\/13\/news\/tehran-linked-pentagon-aide-part-of-covert-campaign-to-undermine-iranian-resistance-group-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New\u200b York Post<\/a>, Tabatabai and other members of\u2063 the IEI engaged in a &#8220;covert campaign&#8221; to discredit the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), \u200ca prominent\u200c opposition group to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei&#8217;s regime.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;By seeking to neutralize favorable impressions of \u2063the organization \u200camong Washington&#8217;s foreign \u2062policy elite, Tehran\u2063 sought\u200b to take down an entity capable of aiding Western attempts to curtail the\u200b Iranian regime&#8217;s nuclear weapons program,\u200c malign regional agenda, human rights abuses, and fundamentalist inclinations,&#8221; the report stated, with endorsement \u2062from former \u200bvice presidential national security adviser Lincoln Bloomfield.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The report also received endorsement from Spanish political leader Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca,\u2062 who was recently targeted in an\u200c attack in Madrid, potentially linked to Iran. A British intelligence official confirmed in an interview that Iran has\u2062 been carrying out an increasing \u2064number \u2064of attempted assassinations on Western soil.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;By brazenly targeting the\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-official-allegedly-part-of-covert-campaign-to-undermine-iranian-opposition-report\/\" title=\"Report: Biden Admin Official Accused of Undermining Iranian Opposition in Covert Campaign\">highly \u2064effective dissident organization<\/a>, the operatives hoped to leave US officials with the false impression that there is no viable alternative to the\u2062 ayatollahs \u2063\u2014 and certainly not one with a \u200dpro-democracy record that remains \u2063committed\u2062 to toppling clerical rule,&#8221; the report added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The report was presented\u2062 to President Biden on Monday, and Sheehan plans to brief lawmakers on its findings.<\/p>\n<p>According to Sheehan&#8217;s report, the alleged IEI spies wrote op-eds\u200c in Western media to smear Iran&#8217;s opponents and discourage a shift in the US government&#8217;s policy\u2063 towards regime change in Iran.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;These viewpoints included beliefs such as, &#8216;According to Khamenei&#8217;s fatwa, Nuclear bomb is not Halal in Shiite belief and therefore will not be developed by the theocratic regime&#8217; and \u2062&#8217;the regime has \u2064no viable alternative and MEK is disliked in Iran, \u2064and therefore\u2064 this regime has to and will stay despite any discontent,'&#8221; \u200cSheehan wrote.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Tabatabai previously worked under Robert Malley, President Biden&#8217;s now-suspended special envoy to Iran, before\u2064 joining the Department of Defense. Malley is currently under investigation \u200cby the FBI for his alleged \u200cmishandling of \u200bclassified material, as reported by\u2064 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/top-biden-official-under-fbi-investigation-over-handling-of-classified-material-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Wire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How did Tabatabai and the IEI allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fec-reportedly-decides-twitter-did-nothing-wrong-suppressing-true-hunter-biden-laptop-story\/\" title=\"FEC Reportedly Decides Twitter Did Nothing Wrong Suppressing True Hunter Biden Laptop Story\">manipulate public opinion<\/a> and discredit critics\u2062 of \u2063Iran&#8217;s \u200cregime?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Deology,&#8221; Sheehan wrote in his report.<\/p>\n<p>The tactics used by \u2062Tabatabai and the IEI allegedly included spreading disinformation, conducting online smear campaigns, and influencing media\u200b coverage to tarnish the reputation of the MEK and \u2062its influential supporters. The report by Sheehan detailed how Tabatabai and her colleagues utilized their connections \u200band \u200cskills to manipulate public opinion and discredit those who\u2062 were critical of Iran&#8217;s regime.<\/p>\n<p>Tabatabai, who served as an analyst at the Pentagon&#8217;s Iran team, has denied the allegations, stating that she \u200cnever \u2064engaged in any covert campaign and that the accusations are baseless. However, evidence presented in Sheehan&#8217;s report, as\u2064 well as\u2063 testimonies from former members of the IEI, seem to \u200bpoint \u2064towards her involvement in the operation.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that Tabatabai has retained her security clearance despite the allegations has raised concerns about \u2064the effectiveness of the screening \u2062process within the Pentagon.\u2063 Critics argue that allowing an individual accused of being\u2063 part of an influence campaign to keep \u2062their security clearance poses a significant risk\u200b to national security.<\/p>\n<p>These allegations\u200b come at a critical time in US-Iran relations, as\u2064 the Biden administration\u200c is seeking \u2062to revive the nuclear deal with Iran. Critics argue that \u2063if individuals like Tabatabai can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-investigation-key-takeaways-from-ex-fbi-agent-timothy-thibaults-testimony\/\" title=\"Ex-FBI agent Timothy Thibault's testimony on Hunter Biden investigation: Key points.\">manipulate \u2062public opinion<\/a> and influence policy through covert campaigns, it undermines the credibility and effectiveness\u200d of any future agreements \u2064or negotiations with Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations against Tabatabai and the IEI highlight the growing concern over Iran&#8217;s use of \u200dinfluence operations to advance its agenda and undermine its opponents. This\u200b case serves as a\u200d reminder that national security agencies must remain vigilant in identifying and countering covert campaigns, especially \u200dthose orchestrated by \u2063foreign actors seeking to undermine the interests and\u2064 values of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>As investigations into the allegations against \u2063Tabatabai continue, it is essential for the Biden administration\u2064 to reevaluate its screening processes and ensure that individuals with potentially conflicting loyalties \u2063or ties to foreign entities are not granted positions of influence\u200c within the government. Upholding the \u2062integrity and security of the United States should be the \u2063utmost\u200c priority for any administration, regardless\u200c of political affiliations.<\/p>\n<p>The revelations regarding Tabatabai and the \u200cIEI raise questions about \u200cthe \u2064broader issue of foreign influence campaigns and highlight the need for greater transparency and accountability in countering such operations. As adversaries continue to exploit\u2062 vulnerabilities in democracies, governments must \u200ddevelop robust strategies to\u2062 prevent\u2062 and respond\u2063 to covert influence\u2064 campaigns that threaten national\u2062 security and democratic processes.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the case of Tabatabai serves as a stark reminder that the fight against covert influence campaigns is an ongoing battle. The\u2063 United States and its \u200dallies must remain vigilant, proactive, \u200band \u200bresponsive to effectively counter these threats and protect national interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Pentagon aide from Iran, Ariane Tabatabai, was accused in a report sent to President Joe Biden of involvement in a covert campaign within the U.S. to undermine influential critics of Iran. Despite the explosive report published in Semafor, Tabatabai has retained her security clearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":2099355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2099354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2099354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2099354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2099354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2099355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2099354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2099354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2099354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}