Gareth Porter

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, was published in 2006.

Who Was Behind the Delhi Bombing?

The magnet bomb that exploded on an Israeli Embassy diplomat’s car in Delhi on February 13 seemed on the surface to be consistent with an Iranian-sponsored action.  It was carried out with same method by which Israel’s Iranian proxy, the Mujahedin-e Khalq, had assassinated an Iranian scientist in mid-January. It occurred on the anniversary of … Continue reading “Who Was Behind the Delhi Bombing?”

How the Media Got the Iran-IAEA Access Story Wrong

News media reported last week that Iran had flatly refused the IAEA access to its Parchin military test facility, based on the statement to reporters by IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts, “We could not get access….” Now, however, both explicit statements on the issue by the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA and the language … Continue reading “How the Media Got the Iran-IAEA Access Story Wrong”

Iran Holds Up Access to Parchin for Better IAEA Deal

The failure of a mission by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to get Iranian permission to visit a military testing site mentioned in its latest report has been interpreted in media coverage as a stall to avoid the discovery of confirming evidence of past work on nuclear weapons. But the history of Iranian cooperation … Continue reading “Iran Holds Up Access to Parchin for Better IAEA Deal”

Karzai Demand on Night Raids Snags US-Afghan Pact

WASHINGTON/KABUL — Nearly a year after the Barack Obama administration began negotiations with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014, both sides confirmed last week that the talks are still hung up over the Afghan demand that night raids by U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) either … Continue reading “Karzai Demand on Night Raids Snags US-Afghan Pact”

Army Officer’s Leaked Report Rips Afghan War Success Story

An analysis by Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, which the U.S. Army has not approved for public release but has leaked to Rolling Stone magazine, provides the most authoritative refutation thus far of the official military narrative of success in the Afghanistan War since the troop surge began in early 2010. In the 84-page unclassified report … Continue reading “Army Officer’s Leaked Report Rips Afghan War Success Story”

U.S. Leak on Israeli Attack Weakened a Warning to Netanyahu

When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Washington Post columnist David Ignatius this week that he believes Israel was likely to attack Iran between April and June, it was ostensibly yet another expression of alarm at the Israeli government’s threats of military action. But even though the administration is undoubtedly concerned about that Israeli threat, the … Continue reading “U.S. Leak on Israeli Attack Weakened a Warning to Netanyahu”

Dempsey Told Israelis US Won’t Join Their War on Iran

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told Israeli leaders Jan. 20 that the United States would not participate in a war against Iran begun by Israel without prior agreement from Washington, according to accounts from well-placed senior military officers.Dempsey’s warning, conveyed to both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister … Continue reading “Dempsey Told Israelis US Won’t Join Their War on Iran”

US Probe of Border Attack Hardened Pakistani Suspicions

The Pakistani military leadership’s response to the U.S. report on its helicopter attack on two Pakistani border posts Nov. 26 assailed the credibility of the investigation by Air Force Brig. Gen. Steven Clark and expressed doubt that the attack could have been “accidental.” The long-expected rejoinder, made public Monday, charged that 28 of its soldiers … Continue reading “US Probe of Border Attack Hardened Pakistani Suspicions”

Clinton Revives Dubious Charge of ‘Covert’ Iranian Nuclear Site

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s charge Tuesday that Iran had intended to keep the Fordow site secret until it was revealed by Western intelligence revived a claim the Barack Obama administration made in September 2009.Clinton said Iran “only declared the Qom facility to the IAEA after it was discovered by the international community … Continue reading “Clinton Revives Dubious Charge of ‘Covert’ Iranian Nuclear Site”

Obama Seeks to Distance US From Israeli Attack

President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are engaged in intense maneuvering over Netanyahu’s aim of entangling the United States in an Israeli war against Iran. Netanyahu is exploiting the extraordinary influence his right-wing Likud Party exercises over the Republican Party and the U.S. Congress on matters related to Israel in order to … Continue reading “Obama Seeks to Distance US From Israeli Attack”