The Pentagon is standing by a senior official identified in a Tuesday morning news report as a member of a vast Iranian influence network, telling the Washington Free Beacon the individual was “properly vetted” before being awarded a security clearance.
The report from Semafor, based on emails from senior Iranian officials, detailed a vast communications network, known as the Iran Experts Initiative, linked to the hardline regime in Tehran. That network, the emails suggest, includes the Pentagon official Ariane Tabatabai as well as other “influential overseas academics” who reported to Iran’s foreign ministry and helped push Tehran’s talking points with American policymakers.
A Pentagon spokesman told the Free Beacon that Tabatabai was subjected to a full security screening before being hired.