Chief of Staff to US Assistant Secretary of Defense Suspected of Being Iranian Agent.

In October 2022, Steve Bannon and Kash Patel raised concerns that an Iranian spy network was influencing the intelligence priorities of the Biden-Harris administration, specifically naming Robert Malley, Ariane Tabatabai, and Maher Bitar.

Recently, it has been reported that Tabatabai may have leaked Israel’s military plans to Iran, according to Sky News Arabia.

On June 29, 2023, Robert Malley, the U.S. special envoy to Iran, was placed on unpaid leave amid an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified information, resulting in the suspension of his security clearance.

By September 29, 2023, Semafor reported that Malley had allegedly supported, financed, and directed an Iranian intelligence operation aimed at influencing the U.S. and its allies, based on leaked Iranian government emails. These communications indicate that Malley was involved in positioning Tabatabai, described as an Iranian agent of influence, in important U.S. government roles—first at the State Department and later at the Pentagon, where she now serves as Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations.

On October 16, 2023, Revolver News revealed that Maher Bitar, now the Senior Director for Intelligence Programs at the National Security Council, had previously served as an executive director of “Students for Justice in Palestine.” This group allegedly organized a “Day of Resistance” in support of Hamas following a recent attack on Israel, celebrating it as a “historic win.” Bitar has been photographed wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh near a sign calling for divestment from Israeli apartheid. Despite these affiliations, Bitar holds a significant role in shaping the administration’s intelligence strategies.

Email correspondence from Ariane Tabatabai

Malley, whose security clearance was suspended, is accused of positioning Tabatabai at the Department of Defense in her current role as Assistant Chief of Staff for the Special Operations Office.

Reports from 2014 suggest that Tabatabai emailed Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), seeking approval to travel on behalf of the U.S. government.

A year after these revelations, Tabatabai continues to hold her top role at the Department of Defense, retaining her high-level security clearance under the Biden-Harris administration.