Iran Threat Prompts Unusual Pow Wow at CIA
The Trump administration is facing a number of new international threats this week, with both North Korea and Iran both flexing their disobedience to annoy the US President.
North Korea’s issues are nothing new. Â The Hermit Kingdom seems to be reverting to their previous playbook in order to massage international sanctions in their favor.
Iran, however, have been acting for bolder than recent history suggested that they would. Â Their latest threats against the US comes in the form of recently discovered plans for an attack on American interests in the Middle East.
This has led US intelligence leaders to convene in an unusual way this week.
In a highly unusual move, national security adviser John Bolton convened a meeting at CIA headquarters last week with the Trump administration’s top intelligence, diplomatic and military advisers to discuss Iran, according to six current U.S. officials.
The meeting was held at 7 a.m. on Monday, April 29, and included CIA Director Gina Haspel, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, five of the officials said.
National security meetings are typically held in the White House Situation Room. The six current officials, as well as multiple former officials, said it is extremely rare for senior White House officials or Cabinet members to attend a meeting at CIA headquarters.
Advertisement - story continues belowThe officials said the discussion was not about the intelligence that led to the decision in the following days to send a carrier strike group and bomber task force to the Middle East, but did not describe what the meeting covered.
Iran and the Trump administration have been at odds over the course of the last two years, particularly when it comes to the nuclear deal first ratified by the Obama administration .