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Trump says CIA wrong and naïve about Iran
US President Donald Trump has called his own intelligence community “naive” and “passive” for their latest assessment on Iran.
CIA Director Gina Haspel and Dan Coats, the US Director of National Intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that Iran is still “technically in compliance” with the terms of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal despite the US withdrawal from the agreement.
President Trump tweeted after the hearing that his intelligence community: “Seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong … perhaps intelligence should go back to school”.
Trump said Iran was: “Making trouble all over the Middle East, and beyond” when he became President in 2017, but since the US pulled out of the JCPOA and re-instated sanctions “they are much different”. He said Iran is: “A source of potential danger and conflict. They are testing Rockets (last week) and more, and are coming very close to the edge. Their economy is now crashing, which is the only thing holding them back. Be careful of Iran.”
Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said: “It is a credit to our intelligence agencies that they continue to provide rigorous and realistic analyses of the threats we face … it’s deeply dangerous that the White House isn’t listening.”
In a series of tweets, Trump also touted “tremendous progress” against ISIS, a recently announced framework for talks with the Taliban to end the war in Afghanistan and his attempt at a rapprochement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, testified on Tuesday that: “ISIS is intent on resurging and still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria,” whilst Lieutenant General Robert Ashley, head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that: “The capabilities and threats that existed a year ago” on North Korea “are still there”.
President Trump criticised Coats on the intelligence community’s assessment of Russia last July, when Coats issued a statement reaffirming the conclusion that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 US Presidential election. Trump had earlier said he doubted the assessment while standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.