Pentagon Looking Into Suspected Case Of Official With Iran Ties

US Assistant Secretary of Defense Christopher Maier told a Congressional panel on Thursday that the Defense Department is looking into reports whether his chief of staff had contacts had covert contacts with Iran.

Iran International published a report September 26, detailing information obtained from hundreds of emails by Iranian diplomats showing that three individuals close to US Special Envoy for Iran were part of a group called the Iran Experts Initiative established by the Iranian foreign ministry to promote Tehran’s positions within the US policy centers. One of this individuals, Ariane Tabatabai is currently the chief of staff of Undersecretary Maier at the defense department.

In a hearing at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Congressman Brian Mast (Rep-Fl) asked Maier to answer candidly if Ms. Tabatabai listed on her security questionnaire that she had had any contacts with the Iranian foreign ministry.

Maier replied, “This is an ongoing personnel matter…We are actively looking into whether all law and policy was properly followed in granting my chief of staff top secret special compartmented information.”

The undersecretary and the department’s counsel at the hearing said they were not involved in the security clearance decision making, and did not have information about what Tabatabai answered in related questionnaires, but were looking into this matter.