Tabatabai Reassigned After Iran Concerns

Ariane Tabatabai, an official who has drawn public scrutiny due to her apparent links to the Iranian regime, has reportedly been reassigned following months of inquiries and complaints by Republican members of Congress.

As Breitbart News reported in June:

Several lawmakers who previously demanded the Biden administration revoke the security clearance of a high-level State Department appointee and conduct an investigation into her troubling ties to the hardline anti-American Iranian regime refused to back down, resolving to continue to “ring the bell” and demand real answers and accountability, after the Biden administration rebutted and stonewalled their demands while refusing to provide a serious explanation.

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In the letter, which is addressed to President Biden and provided in full to Breitbart News, the lawmakers expressed “serious concerns” over the Biden administration’s choosing to hire Ariane Tabatabai as a senior advisor to the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

“Tabatabai, in multiple public appearances, has echoed Iranian regime talking points and has made excuses for Iran’s oppressive government,” it continued. “She has downplayed the significance of dissatisfaction that Iranians have with their government, stating that protesting is a ‘feature in the Islamic Republic’ and is an ‘inherent part of Iranian public life.’”

The letter also blasts Tabatabai for having argued that “the U.S. must acknowledge Iran’s presence in Syria and accept Iran’s support of militants” as well as having claimed that Iran has “affirmed its place as a significant regional force.”

Describing Iran as “one of American’s greatest adversaries” that poses a “significant threat” to the region and U.S. allies there, the letter goes on to blast Iran for its radical ideology and policies.

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After demonstrating Iran’s clear determination to obtain nuclear weapons for non-peaceful purposes, the letter notes Tabatabai’s father’s role as a senior faculty member at the state-controlled University of Tehran as well as his alleged role in President Hassan Rouhani’s “inner circle.”

In addition, the letter describes Tabatabai’s father’s public appearances with President Rouhani as well as being photographed with the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder and leader of the 1979 revolution.

The Biden-Harris administration had defended Tabatabai’s role and assured Congress that she had passed background checks.

In recent weeks, however, her name emerged in unconfirmed reports that the U.S. had been leaking information about Israel’s plans to attack Iran. It was never confirmed that there was a leak, nor that Tabatabai was the supposed leaker, but her documented support for the Iranian regime made her a target.

Ynet, an Israeli news website, reported Tuesday that the Biden-Harris administration chose to “move her to a position overseeing education and training within the Defense Secretary’s office.”

Ynet added:

Tabatabai served as the head of the Office of Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, a role that gave her unique access to high-level classified intelligence and information on nearly all U.S. covert operations. Her new position, by contrast, provides significantly limited access to intelligence and classified operational plans.
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Tabatabai, an American of Iranian descent, previously held access to highly classified information. She formerly worked with Robert Malley, President Joe Biden’s ex-special envoy for Iran, who was dismissed about a year ago over improper connections with the Islamic Republic.

There are several people with radical past associations currently serving in key positions in the Biden-Harris administration. Maher Bitar, the director of intelligence for the National Security Council in the White House, was an activist in the radical Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which lately has been responsible for anti-Israel, antisemitic, and sometimes violent “encampments” on university campuses all across the United States.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.