The United States has received intelligence suggesting that key Iranian leaders were unaware of the Hamas attack in Israel. This information has led to doubts regarding Iran’s direct involvement in planning the assault, according to multiple American officials.
The intelligence indicates that these Iranian officials had no prior knowledge of the attack. U.S. officials, alongside Israel and regional allies, have found no evidence that Iran directly aided in planning the attack, according to sources in the U.S. and the Middle East.
Although the U.S. officials did not disclose the identities of the surprised Iranian officials, they mentioned that these individuals would typically be aware of operations involving the Quds Force, the Iranian government’s paramilitary arm that supports proxy forces.
The U.S. officials stated that the intelligence investigation is ongoing, and it may uncover evidence implicating Iran or other states in direct involvement with the Hamas operation. Senior officials emphasized that they maintain an open mind, reviewing both old and new intelligence reports for any new information.
Over the years, Iran has supplied Hamas with a significant amount of weapons and support. U.S. officials acknowledge that this makes Tehran broadly complicit in the attack. However, they distinguish this complicity from direct knowledge and involvement.
During a congressional briefing on Tuesday, Morgan Muir, a senior U.S. intelligence official, stated that there was no direct link between Iran and the Hamas attack, according to U.S. officials. Mr. Muir provided limited details but informed lawmakers that U.S. agencies possessed intelligence contradicting claims of Iranian involvement in planning the attack.
Regular monitoring of meetings between Quds Force leaders, their proxies, and allies, including Hamas, is carried out by the United States and its allies. However, officials assert that there is no evidence to suggest that these meetings were used to plan the attack in Israel. While officials concede the possibility of undisclosed secret meetings that Western intelligence did not track, no evidence supporting such meetings has been found thus far.
To protect sources and methods, anonymous U.S. officials discussed the intelligence and requested that The New York Times refrain from reporting the means of collection.
On Tuesday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated that there was no collected intelligence suggesting direct Iranian involvement in the attack.
Officials clarified that Mr. Sullivan’s remarks reflected the intelligence collected thus far, which does not point to Iran’s direct involvement.
“Since the beginning, we have stated that Iran is broadly complicit in this attack because they have provided the majority of funding for Hamas’ military arm,” he said. “They have contributed training and capabilities.”
President Biden has faced criticism from some Republicans, including presidential candidates, who accuse the administration of being soft on Iran. The Biden administration has been unsuccessful in reviving a nuclear deal with Iran and recently negotiated the release of prisoners. In exchange, Iran gained access to $6 billion in frozen oil revenues for humanitarian purposes.
Former President Donald J. Trump and other Republicans attempted to blame Mr. Biden, alleging that these funds helped finance the attack. However, the $6 billion is not U.S. taxpayer money, as Mr. Trump and others falsely claimed. Moreover, there is no evidence that the funds, which officials have stated are subject to Treasury Department oversight, were utilized to support the attacks.
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen did not rule out the possibility of reversing the decision made last month to unfreeze the $6 billion in Iranian funds if it is determined that Iran was involved in the Hamas attack. Ms. Yellen clarified that the funds remain untouched to date.
As a deterrent following the assault, the United States deployed an aircraft carrier to the region, aiming to prevent Iran or its proxies from initiating another conflict.