The Media Line: Israeli Official Dismisses NYT Report on Iran Chemical Weapons Threat  

Israeli Official Dismisses NYT Report on Iran Chemical Weapons Threat  

By The Media Line Staff  

A senior Israeli official said Wednesday that Iran currently has no chemical weapons capability threatening Israel, a day after The New York Times reported that Israeli intelligence officials had warned Washington about Tehran’s potential development of chemical weapons delivery systems.  

“At this point in time, Iran possesses no chemical capability that poses a threat to the State of Israel. We are monitoring the threat, and should the need arise, we will know how to take action and inform the citizens,” the official told i24NEWS.  

The statement followed a New York Times report Tuesday that Israeli officials had raised concerns about Iran’s ability to deliver chemical agents through missiles, drones or clandestine operations. According to the newspaper, Israeli officials regard the possible development of such capabilities as a more immediate concern than Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.  

Washington has not reached a consensus on the Israeli intelligence assessments, the Times reported. Some American officials consider the warnings credible, particularly in light of recent intelligence indicating Iranian preparations for attacks against US interests.  

Other American officials have expressed skepticism, questioning whether Israel is seeking to persuade Washington to restart military operations against Iran.  

The Times also reported that Israel had shared its intelligence findings with governments in the Gulf. However, some of those governments reportedly questioned whether Tehran actually intends to employ chemical weapons.  

Iran has rejected the allegations, maintaining that it does not possess chemical weapons. Tehran has also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of advancing the claims as a political ploy.  

Iran previously acknowledged developing chemical weapons capabilities during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. In 2003, however, Tehran stated that those capabilities had subsequently been dismantled.  

Despite Iran’s denials, unclassified US intelligence assessments have indicated that Tehran “likely aims” to continue research and development related to chemical weapons, according to The New York Times.