Gareth Porter

The Barack Obama administration’s insistence that Iran discuss its ballistic missile program in the negotiations for a comprehensive nuclear agreement brings its position into line with that of Israel and senators who introduced legislation drafted by the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC aimed at torpedoing the negotiations. But the history of the issue suggests that the … Continue reading “US Adopts Israeli Demand to Bring Iran’s Missiles Into Nuclear Talks”

When Western intelligence agencies began in the early 1990s to intercept telexes from an Iranian university to foreign high technology firms, intelligence analysts believed they saw the first signs of military involvement in Iran’s nuclear program. That suspicion led to U.S. intelligence assessments over the next decade that Iran was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. The … Continue reading “Misread Telexes Led Analysts to See Iran Nuclear Arms Program”

Iran’s pushback against statements by Secretary of State John Kerry and the White House that Tehran must “dismantle” some of its nuclear program, and the resulting political uproar over it, indicates that tough U.S. rhetoric may be adding new obstacles to the search for a comprehensive nuclear agreement. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said … Continue reading “US ‘Dismantling’ Rhetoric Ignores Iran’s Nuclear Proposals”

Criticism in the memoirs of former secretary of defense Robert M. Gates of President Barack Obama’s lack of commitment to the Afghan War strategy of his administration has generated a Washington debate about whether Obama was sufficiently supportive of the war. But the Gates account omits two crucial historical facts necessary to understanding the issue. … Continue reading “Gates Conceals Real Story of ‘Gaming’ Obama on Afghan War”

The “first step” agreement between Iran and the United States that was sealed in Geneva over the weekend is supposed to lead to the negotiation of a “comprehensive settlement” of the nuclear issue over the next six months, though the latter has gotten little attention. But within hours of the agreement, there are already indications … Continue reading “US Officials Hint at Reservations on Final Nuclear Deal”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed a crucial detail Thursday about last week’s nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva that explains much more clearly than previous reports why the meeting broke up without agreement. Lavrov said the United States circulated a draft that had been amended in response to French demands to other members of … Continue reading “Lavrov Reveals Amended Draft Circulated at ‘Last Moment’”

After a drone strike had reportedly killed Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud Nov. 1, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council declared that, if true, it would be “a serious loss” for the terrorist organization. That reaction accurately reflected the Central Intelligence Agency’s argument for the strike. But the back story of the episode … Continue reading “Drone Strike Served CIA Revenge, Blocked Pakistan’s Strategy”

The Washington Post on Thursday reported what it presented as new evidence of a secret agreement under which Pakistani officials have long been privately supporting the U.S. drone war in the country even as they publicly criticized it. Most news outlets picked up the Post story, and the theme of public Pakistani opposition and private … Continue reading “Pakistan Drone Story Ignored Military Opposition to Strikes”

In an effort to provoke any possible opposition in U.S. political circles to a nuclear deal with Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has returned to exploiting an old claim that Iran is building intercontinental ballistic missiles that could hit the United States. The Netanyahu claim takes advantage of the extreme position that has been … Continue reading “Israeli Claim of Iranian ICBM Exploits Biased US Intel”

Contrary to the general impression in Congress and the news media, the Syria chemical warfare intelligence summary released by the Barack Obama administration Aug. 30 did not represent an intelligence community assessment, an IPS analysis and interviews with former intelligence officials reveals. The evidence indicates that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper culled intelligence analyses … Continue reading “Obama’s Case for Syria Didn’t Reflect Intel Consensus”