Latest news with #TulsiGabbard
Asharq Al-Awsat
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Still Active… IRGC Agents Disguised in European Companies
The Austrian intelligence agency said in a report that Iran is continuing with its active nuclear weapons program, which it says can be used to launch missiles over long distances. Also, the IRGC, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, is accused of planting spies in European companies and factories to learn expertise and transfer new technologies, the report showed according to Fox news. It said the intelligence gathering of Austrian officials contradicts the assessment of the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate Intelligence Committee in March that the American intelligence community 'continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.' Austria's version of the FBI - the Directorate State Protection and Intelligence Service - wrote Monday in the intelligence report, 'In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond.' In the 211-page report that covers pressing threats to Austria's democracy, the agency said that the 'Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances.' Shell Companies The report said that Iran's intelligence seeks to exploit its relations with research institutes and academic centers in war zones to use their expertise for its own military-industrial development. According to the intelligence document obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, Iranian regime intelligence actively targets Western technologies and dual-use goods, often using front companies and shell corporations tied to the Revolutionary Guards. These networks enable Iran to acquire components for WMDs and high-tech military equipment. 'Western military technology from war zones - such as captured Israeli or US drones - is disassembled, studied, and replicated,' the report said. 'Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction,' the Austrian intelligence agency added. In October 2022, the Ukrainian military showcased a captured modern Iranian 'Mohajer-6' attack drone that was recovered from the Black Sea. It said the reconnaissance drone is equipped with an aircraft engine manufactured by the Austrian company Rotax, signaling Tehran's non-compliance with the EU's arms-related sanctions. In October 2020, after the US imposed new sanctions on the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, the National Iranian Oil Company and the National Iranian Tanker Company 'for their financial support to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force,' Rotax said it stopped selling aircraft engines to Iran. Austria's counter-terrorism authority reported a rise in job applications from Iranians to Austrian companies, particularly those specialized in the metal and electrical engineering industries, raising security concerns about Iran's attempt to seek sensitive knowledge to support its weapons programs. The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), also reported an increase in espionage activities, particularly targeting economic and research institutions in Austria by foreign actors seeking to obtain economic and scientific information. Earlier, European countries imposed strict measures on Iranian students applying to technical universities and sectors related to nuclear technology. Noting Iran's interference in regional conflicts, the Austrian intelligence agency said that since the 2010s, the Iranian regime's arms shipments have fueled regional conflicts, especially in Syria and Palestine. Disguised Intelligence Officers The Austrian intelligence findings could be an unwanted wrench in President Trump's negotiation process to resolve the atomic crisis with Iran's rulers because the data outlined in the report suggests the regime will not abandon its drive to secure a nuclear weapon, Fox News said. The report comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose headquarters are in the Austrian capital, will in the coming days publish its own review of Iran's nuclear activities. The Fox news report said, 'Vienna is home to one of the largest embassies of Iran in Europe, which disguises intelligence officers with diplomatic.' The Austrian intelligence report noted that, 'Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction.' In 2021, a Belgian court convicted Asadollah Asadi, a former Iranian diplomat based in Vienna, for planning to blow up a 2018 opposition meeting of tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents held outside Paris. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump's personal lawyer at the time, attended the event in France. When asked about the differences in conclusions between the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Austrian intelligence report, David Albright, a physicist and founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, DC, told Fox News Digital, 'The ODNI report is stuck in the past, a remnant of the fallacious unclassified 2007 NIE [National Intelligence Estimate].' 'The Austrian report in general is similar to German and British assessments. Both governments, by the way, made clear to (the) US IC [intelligence community] in 2007 that they thought the US assessment was wrong that the Iranian nuclear weapons program ended in 2003.' "The German assessment is from BND [Germany's Federal Intelligence Service] station chief in DC at that time. The British info is from a senior British non-proliferation official I was having dinner with the day the 2007 NIE was made public. The German said the US was misinterpreting data they all possessed.' Iran's Response Iran on Friday called for an 'official explanation' from the Austrian government following a recent report by the country's intelligence agency concerning Iran's nuclear program. In a statement, Esmail Baghaei, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, decried the Austrian intelligence agency's report about Iran's 'active nuclear weapons program' as 'false and baseless,' according to Iran's Tasnim news agency. Referring to Iran's membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the obvious fact that Iran's nuclear program is subject to the strictest inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Foreign Ministry spokesman considered Austria's move as undermining the credibility of the IAEA. 'Unlike Austria and some other European countries that are deceitfully silent about the arming of Israel with all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, Iran is strongly opposed to nuclear weapons and other types of mass destruction weapons,' he said. Also, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister and lead nuclear negotiator, responded to the report on Thursday, saying 'Media is speculating about an imminent Iran-US deal. Not sure if we are there yet.' On X, he wrote, 'Iran is sincere about a diplomatic solution that will serve the interests of all sides. But getting there requires an agreement that will fully terminate all sanctions and uphold Iran's nuclear rights -- including enrichment.'
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Iran's nuclear weapons program reportedly still active; US previously denied it
A new intelligence report from Austria says Iran is still working on its nuclear weapons. The report claims that Iran is trying to develop long-range missiles that could carry these report goes against what the United States said earlier this year. According to the New York Post, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee in March that Iran is "not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003."advertisementBut, an Austrian report claims otherwise. Their domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, wrote in a new report on Monday, "In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond." The report also claims that Iran's nuclear weapons program is "well advanced" and that it has a stock of missiles that could carry nuclear warheads to long SPLIT ON IRAN'S TRUE INTENTIONSThe Austrian intelligence report may complicate things for the US. According to Fox News Digital, the data from Austria could make it harder for US President Donald Trump to negotiate with Iran's leaders over their nuclear plans. advertisement"President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one," a White House official said as quoted by Fox Austrian report also claims that Iran has created "sophisticated sanctions-evasion networks," which have helped Russia. The report listed Iran 99 times in its 211 pages and called it a threat to Austria's agency noted that, in Iran's Vienna embassy, the intelligence officers could be posing as diplomats."Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction," the Austrian agency Asadi, an Iranian diplomat stationed in Vienna, was found guilty by a Belgian court in 2021. In 2018, he was convicted of organizing a bombing at an opposition rally in France that was attended by President Trump's personal attorney at the time, former New York City Mayor Rudy News reported in 2023 that European intelligence documents exposed Iran's efforts to get around US and EU sanctions in order to acquire nuclear weapons testing technology. The reports claim that these initiatives took place both before and after the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, also referred to as the Watch
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Explosive new intelligence report reveals Iran's nuclear weapons program still active
FIRST ON FOX — A new intelligence report claims Iran is continuing with its active nuclear weapons program, which it says can be used to launch missiles over long distances. The startling intelligence gathering of Austrian officials contradicts the assessment of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate Intelligence Committee in March that the American intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." Austria's version of the FBI — the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution — wrote Monday in an intelligence report, "In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond." Trump Confirms He Told Netanyahu To Back Off Iran Strikes Amid Nuclear Talks The Austrian domestic intelligence agency report added, "The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances." According to an intelligence document obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, "Iran has developed sophisticated sanctions-evasion networks, which has benefited Russia." Read On The Fox News App The Austrian intelligence findings could be an unwanted wrench in President Trump's negotiation process to resolve the atomic crisis with Iran's rulers because the data outlined in the report suggests the regime will not abandon its drive to secure a nuclear weapon. In response to the Austrian intelligence, a White House official told Fox News Digital, "President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one." The danger of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism (and its illegal atomic weapons program) was cited 99 times in the 211-page report that covers pressing threats to Austria's democracy. "Vienna is home to one of the largest embassies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Europe, which disguises intelligence officers with diplomatic," the Austrian intelligence report noted. "Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction," the Austrian intelligence agency said. In 2021, a Belgium court convicted Asadollah Asadi, a former Iranian diplomat based in Vienna, for planning to blow up a 2018 opposition meeting of tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents held outside Paris. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as President Trump's personal lawyer at the time, attended the event in France. Iran Foreign Minister Vows Nuclear Enrichment Will Continue 'With Or Without A Deal' When asked about the differences in conclusions between the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Austrian intelligence report, David Albright, a physicist and founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, "The ODNI report is stuck in the past, a remnant of the fallacious unclassified 2007 NIE [National Intelligence Estimate]. "The Austrian report in general is similar to German and British assessments. Both governments, by the way, made clear to (the) U.S. IC [intelligence community] in 2007 that they thought the U.S. assessment was wrong that the Iranian nuclear weapons program ended in 2003. "The German assessment is from BND [Germany's Federal Intelligence Service] station chief in D.C. at that time. The British info is from a senior British non-proliferation official I was having dinner with the day the 2007 NIE was made public. The German said the U.S. was misinterpreting data they all possessed." The Austrian intelligence findings that Tehran is working on an active atomic weapons program "seems clear enough," said Albright. In 2023, Fox News Digital revealed a fresh batch of European intelligence reports showed that Iran sought to bypass U.S. and EU sanctions to secure technology for its nuclear weapons program with a view toward testing an atomic bomb. European intelligence agencies have documented prior to 2015 and after the Iran nuclear deal( JCPOA) was agreed upon that Tehran continued efforts to illegally secure technology for its atomic, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction programs. The Austrian intelligence report noted that Iran provides weapons to the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as to Syrian militias. A spokesperson for ODNI declined to comment. The U.S. State Department and U.S. National Security Council did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital press article source: Explosive new intelligence report reveals Iran's nuclear weapons program still active
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Explosive new intelligence report reveals Iran's nuclear weapons program still active
FIRST ON FOX — A new intelligence report claims Iran is continuing with its active nuclear weapons program, which it says can be used to launch missiles over long distances. The startling intelligence gathering of Austrian officials contradicts the assessment of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate Intelligence Committee in March that the American intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." Austria's version of the FBI — the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution — wrote Monday in an intelligence report, "In order to assert and enforce its regional political power ambitions, the Islamic Republic of Iran is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond." The Austrian domestic intelligence agency report added, "The Iranian nuclear weapons development program is well advanced, and Iran possesses a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads over long distances." According to an intelligence document obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, "Iran has developed sophisticated sanctions-evasion networks, which has benefited Russia." The Austrian intelligence findings could be an unwanted wrench in President Trump's negotiation process to resolve the atomic crisis with Iran's rulers because the data outlined in the report suggests the regime will not abandon its drive to secure a nuclear weapon. In response to the Austrian intelligence, a White House official told Fox News Digital, "President Trump is committed to Iran never obtaining a nuclear weapon or the capacity to build one." The danger of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism (and its illegal atomic weapons program) was cited 99 times in the 211-page report that covers pressing threats to Austria's democracy. "Vienna is home to one of the largest embassies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Europe, which disguises intelligence officers with diplomatic," the Austrian intelligence report noted. "Iranian intelligence services are familiar with developing and implementing circumvention strategies for the procurement of military equipment, proliferation-sensitive technologies, and materials for weapons of mass destruction," the Austrian intelligence agency said. In 2021, a Belgium court convicted Asadollah Asadi, a former Iranian diplomat based in Vienna, for planning to blow up a 2018 opposition meeting of tens of thousands of Iranian dissidents held outside Paris. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as President Trump's personal lawyer at the time, attended the event in France. When asked about the differences in conclusions between the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Austrian intelligence report, David Albright, a physicist and founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, "The ODNI report is stuck in the past, a remnant of the fallacious unclassified 2007 NIE [National Intelligence Estimate]. "The Austrian report in general is similar to German and British assessments. Both governments, by the way, made clear to (the) U.S. IC [intelligence community] in 2007 that they thought the U.S. assessment was wrong that the Iranian nuclear weapons program ended in 2003. "The German assessment is from BND [Germany's Federal Intelligence Service] station chief in D.C. at that time. The British info is from a senior British non-proliferation official I was having dinner with the day the 2007 NIE was made public. The German said the U.S. was misinterpreting data they all possessed." The Austrian intelligence findings that Tehran is working on an active atomic weapons program "seems clear enough," said Albright. In 2023, Fox News Digital revealed a fresh batch of European intelligence reports showed that Iran sought to bypass U.S. and EU sanctions to secure technology for its nuclear weapons program with a view toward testing an atomic bomb. European intelligence agencies have documented prior to 2015 and after the Iran nuclear deal( JCPOA) was agreed upon that Tehran continued efforts to illegally secure technology for its atomic, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction programs. The Austrian intelligence report noted that Iran provides weapons to the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as to Syrian militias. A spokesperson for ODNI declined to comment. The U.S. State Department and U.S. National Security Council did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital press queries.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump lays wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to mark Memorial Day
President Donald Trump is marking Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. During an overcast morning, Trump took part in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. He was joined by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commanding General of U.S. Military District of Washington Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp. All four men raised their hands in salute. Also in attendance were Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. John Daniel Caine, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and other Trump officials. Trump will deliver remarks at Memorial Amphitheater, in which he will pay tribute to those who died in America's wars. "These warriors picked up the mantle of duty and service, knowing that to live for others meant always that they might die for others. They asked nothing. They gave everything. And we owe them everything and more," Trump will say, according to excerpts released by the White House. "The greatest monument to their courage is not carved in marble or cast in bronze -- it is all around us, an American nation 300 million strong, which will soon be greater than ever before," Trump will say. MORE: Trump praises West Point graduates, touts 'golden age' of US military in commencement speech The president earlier Monday had posted to his conservative social media platform a generic message in all-capital letters commemorating the holiday. In a second Memorial Day social media post, Trump focused largely on lashing out at federal judges and perceived political opponents. It contained no mention of U.S. military personnel who lost their lives while serving in the armed forces. Trump wished a happy holiday to all -- including "the scum" he said "spent the last four years trying to destroy our country through warped radical left minds." The rest of the post criticized the previous administration on border security, and hit out at judges who've blocked parts of Trump's immigration agenda. ABC News' Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report. Trump lays wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to mark Memorial Day originally appeared on
