# US Intelligence Fears Iran Duped Hawks Into War **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 25, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045 "2004-05-25T19:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045/1 "2004-05-25T19:48:00Z")
> **[US intelligence fears Iran duped hawks into Iraq war](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/may/25/usa.iraq10)** > > · Inquiry into Tehran's role in starting conflict · Top Pentagon ally Chalabi accused > [@](#): > > An urgent investigation has been launched in Washington into whether Iran played a role in manipulating the US into the Iraq war by passing on bogus intelligence through Ahmad Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress, it emerged yesterday. > > Some intelligence officials now believe that Iran used the hawks in the Pentagon and the White House to get rid of a hostile neighbour, and pave the way for a Shia-ruled Iraq. > > According to a US intelligence official, the CIA has hard evidence that Mr Chalabi and his intelligence chief, Aras Karim Habib, passed US secrets to Tehran, and that Mr Habib has been a paid Iranian agent for several years, involved in passing intelligence in both directions. > > The CIA has asked the FBI to investigate Mr Chalabi’s contacts in the Pentagon to discover how the INC acquired sensitive information that ended up in Iranian hands. > > The implications are far-reaching. Mr Chalabi and Mr Habib were the channels for much of the intelligence on Iraqi weapons on which Washington built its case for war. > > “It’s pretty clear that Iranians had us for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said an intelligence source in Washington yesterday. “Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the US for several years through Chalabi.” > > Larry Johnson, a former senior counter-terrorist official at the state department, said: “When the story ultimately comes out we’ll see that Iran has run one of the most masterful intelligence operations in history. They persuaded the US and Britain to dispose of its greatest enemy.” > > Mr Chalabi has vehemently rejected the allegations as “a lie, a fib and silly”. He accused the CIA director, George Tenet, of a smear campaign against himself and Mr Habib. > > However, it is clear that the CIA - at loggerheads with Mr Chalabi for more than eight years - believes it has caught him red-handed, and is sticking to its allegations. > > “The suggestion that Chalabi is a victim of a smear campaign is outrageous,” a US intelligence official said. “It’s utter nonsense. He passed very sensitive and classified information to the Iranians. We have rock solid information that he did that.” Does anyone think this might be true? And, if so, what does this mean for the future? ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045/2 "2004-05-25T19:51:16Z")
I think there is another thread on the topic… a bit longish already. I think its true… and that is what happens when you let ideologically driven shit heads take over government. Anything that sounded right to their cause was taken as “right”. Effects ? Not many… US voters don’t read. Government analysts will be a bit more skeptical maybe… but its guys on top who need to be skeptical and rational. ---
**Author:** ![cmason32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@cmason32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmason32)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045/3 "2004-05-25T19:56:18Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > I think there is another thread on the topic… a bit longish already. > . Woops. I looked before I posted - guessed I missed it. If mods want to close this down, I understnad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045/4 "2004-05-25T20:06:03Z")
If it IS true, it’s a trick worthy of El-Ahrairah himself. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045/5 "2004-05-25T20:11:51Z")
El-Ahrairah, my ass. That’s a political tactic worthy of Tricky Dick himself. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045/6 "2004-05-25T20:35:20Z")
Man, this whole Iraq thing has more twists and turns than the best-made thriller. I just wish for the sake of our nation and the world that it was only a movie! ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-intelligence-fears-iran-duped-hawks-into-war/247045/7 "2004-05-25T22:36:06Z")
[Moderator Hat ON] Locked as a duplicate topic, please go to other thread here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=257550](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=257550) [Moderator Hat OFF]