Israel has provided the United States with intelligence about Iran’s possible preparations to use chemical weapons. According to the Israeli assessment, Tehran is working on technologies to deliver them by missile or to move them covertly to other countries.
This is reported by The New York Times, citing US and regional officials.
According to the newspaper, the information received prompted a mixed reaction in the United States. Some US officials consider the threat serious, while others suggest that Israel is using these reports as a means of pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration to persuade it to return to broader military action against Iran.
Israel also shared some of the intelligence with Gulf countries. However, some of their representatives questioned the credibility of the reports that Iran is preparing plans to use chemical weapons.
According to the newspaper’s sources, Israeli intelligence believes Iran is making progress in developing technologies to equip missiles with chemical munitions or to move them covertly to Israel or other countries.
At the same time, experts note that while placing a chemical agent on a ballistic missile is not technically difficult, ensuring its effective dispersal is much harder. Possible delivery methods also include the use of drones.
The issue of chemical weapons in Iran has been raised before. In 2003, the country acknowledged that it had developed relevant capabilities during the Iran–Iraq war in the 1980s, but said it later dismantled them. In their annual intelligence assessments in recent years, the United States has noted that Iran is likely to intend to continue research and development in this area.
Tehran, meanwhile, denies possessing chemical weapons and calls such accusations part of information pressure from Israel.
The White House did not provide the newspaper with an official comment on the intelligence. One US official said that Donald Trump would ensure the security of the United States and its allies against potential threats. The CIA also declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office said the country is closely monitoring threats from Iran and is ready to counter them.
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