According to the report, during discussions with US intelligence agencies and other officials over the past two weeks, senior Israeli officials presented the chemical weapons threat as more urgent than Iran’s ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
Israeli intelligence officials told their American counterparts that they believe Iran is rapidly advancing technology that would allow it to mount chemical weapons on missiles or smuggle them into Israel or another country to carry out an attack.<\/p>\n
Other senior American officials believe the threat should be taken seriously, particularly in light of a series of recent warnings about Iranian preparations<\/a> to attack US interests.<\/p>\n According to the newspaper, there is little disagreement within the American intelligence community that Iran is developing chemical weapons. The central dispute concerns whether Iranian leaders would actually use them, particularly if Iran is not attacked again.<\/p>\n Gulf officials question Israeli chemical weapons intelligence: ‘No evidence’<\/p>\n Israel also shared some of the intelligence with officials in Gulf states. Several questioned whether Iran was developing plans to use chemical weapons and believe Israel is attempting to push the United States and its partners toward a more intensive phase of the war.<\/p>\n A regional official told the newspaper that Israel had presented Gulf countries with assessments suggesting Iran was working to make its chemical weapons operational, but had not shared supporting evidence.<\/p>\n According to the official, Gulf governments regarded the claims as lacking seriousness.<\/p>\n For some American officials, the warnings have revived memories of the faulty intelligence surrounding Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction in 2002.<\/p>\n At the time, US intelligence agencies presented the White House with a firm assessment that Iraq possessed such weapons, although the country had largely abandoned or suspended its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs.<\/p>\n Even among those briefed on the new intelligence, assessments differ regarding how quickly and effectively Iran could deploy chemical weapons.<\/p>\n According to experts and American officials who spoke with the newspaper, mounting a chemical weapon on a ballistic missile is not particularly difficult, but ensuring the effective dispersal of the chemical agent is more complicated.<\/p>\n Smuggling a bomb across a border also presents difficulties. Another possibility mentioned was the use of a drone.<\/p>\n Despite the Israeli warnings, the newspaper reported that preparations for responding to chemical weapons attacks are not a central component of the Home Front Command exercises taking place across Israel this week.<\/p>\n Two Home Front Command officials said there had also been no widespread reminders distributed to officers or the public regarding protective instructions against such a threat.<\/p>\n The IDF declined to comment.<\/p>\n US prepares potential Iran strike as Washington, Tehran pursue diplomatic solution<\/p>\nPeople burn the flags of the US and Israel in Tehran, Iran, April 8, 2026. (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR\/REUTERS)<\/p>\n