Washington Receives Warnings from Israel About Possible Iranian Use of Chemical Weapons

The New York Times reported, citing U.S. and regional officials, that Israel provided the United States with information indicating Iran is considering the possibility of using chemical weapons against its adversaries, which drew mixed reactions within the U.S. administration on Tuesday evening.

Israeli officials, in talks with U.S. intelligence agencies and other officials over the past two weeks, presented the chemical-weapons threat as an urgent priority even exceeding concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the report said.

The New York Times suggests some U.S. officials view the Israeli information as part of a pressure campaign led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government aimed at pushing President Donald Trump’s administration to return to large-scale military operations against Iran. Others argue the warnings should be taken seriously, especially given previous alerts about preparations that could target U.S. interests.

Israel also shared some of this information with Gulf states, but several Gulf officials expressed skepticism that Tehran was planning to use chemical weapons, saying the goal might be to push the United States and its partners into a security escalation.

The paper notes that U.S. accusations that Iran possessed or sought to develop chemical weapons go back decades. In 2003 Iran acknowledged it had developed chemical capabilities during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, but later said it had dismantled those capabilities.

In recent years, the U.S. annual unclassified intelligence assessment has included language indicating that Iran "is likely to seek" to continue research and development in chemical weapons, the report said, while Iran has publicly denied possessing such weapons and called the accusations part of a psychological campaign led by Israel and Netanyahu.

The New York Times added that the United States and Iran appear, after eight months of the war, to be in a relative stalemate, with both sides exploring the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough while preparing for the possibility of renewed fighting.

The paper said U.S. officials have told it the Trump administration does not intend to use nuclear weapons, but Iranian officials do not appear to share the same level of reassurance.

The report also highlighted a domestic dimension in Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting to remain politically viable after failing to secure a clear path to form a government following last week’s elections, and some analysts say he could exploit a security emergency as leverage to force opposition leaders to join a governing coalition.