Senate Republicans are calling for the Department of Defense (DOD) to look into Pentagon employee Dr. Ariane Tabatabai’s connection to an Iranian influence operation on the U.S. government.
During the Senate confirmation hearing for State Department counselor Derek Chollet to be the new DOD Under Secretary for Policy, Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst questioned how Tabatabai, a senior policy advisor at the DOD who previously worked at the State Department, was able to obtain a security clearance in light of her alleged involvement in the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), an Iranian government operation to improve the country’s reputation abroad.
I'm demanding answers from @SecDef Lloyd Austin about Ariane Tabatabai, an anti-Israel senior official at the Pentagon who is connected to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) October 3, 2023
We need to know whether her ties to Tehran have influenced her decision making at the DoD. pic.twitter.com/CCdWQtaRyv
“I didn’t think the Biden admin’s appeasement of Iran could get worse. Today, I confronted them on allowing an Iranian spy to infiltrate and work at the Pentagon. They DEFENDED it. Unbelievable!” Ernst wrote on the social media platform X following the hearing.
Tabatabai was one of the “influential overseas academics” the program attempted to establish ties with in order to “bolster” Iran’s “image and positions on global security issues — particularly its nuclear program,” according to a report published on Tuesday by the digital news website Semafor.
“Do you believe it is prudent to have an individual with a history of conferring with Iranian officials in a highly sensitive role related to counterterrorism and special operations?” the Republican senator asked Chollet.
To which the Chollet responded, “I know nothing about this particular instance. I only know what I have read in the press. All I can say is, given my experience at the Defense Department, as well as the State Department and the Security Council, anyone who serves in a position of national security has to go through a rigorous background check. But other than that, I know nothing about this episode.”
Ernst continued to press the counselor, asking if he thought it “would be prudent to suspend her clearance” in light of the allegations. But Chollet went on to deny he had any knowledge of the situation involving Tabatabai.
While the Pentagon acknowledged Tabatabai’s employment, it did not directly address the allegations against the scientist.
“Dr. Tabatabai was thoroughly and properly vetted as a condition of her employment with the Department of Defense. We are honored to have her serve,” a spokesperson for the Pentagon said in a statement.
