Lafayette Reporter

WASHINGTON – A group of Republican senators, including Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), have sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, urging him to suspend the security clearance of a senior Defense Department official who allegedly participated in an information operation on behalf of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

"We are concerned that an individual who previously served as part of an Iranian Foreign Ministry information operation is currently serving in a senior Department of Defense position. We urge you to take immediate action to ensure that the Department has not been compromised," said Sen. Kennedy.

The senators referred to a recent report from Semafor that unveiled the alleged involvement of Ariane Tabatabai, a senior adviser in the Office of the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security at the Department of Defense, in an Iranian government-linked initiative aimed at improving Iran's image on global security matters, including its nuclear program, back in 2014. The senators questioned why the Biden administration disregarded concerns about Tabatabai's ties to Iran when appointing her to work within the Defense Department, dismissing them as "smears and slander."

"The fact that the Department initially responded to these latest allegations by rushing a full-throated defense of Ms. Tabatabai, rather than taking the time to ensure that our national security has not been compromised, suggests that you are protecting hiring missteps rather than prioritizing national security," added the senators.

In their letter, Sen. Kennedy and his colleagues requested more information on the Defense Department's vetting process for Tabatabai, including whether she disclosed her connections to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and other prominent Iranian officials in her security clearance disclosures.

The letter was signed by a total of 31 senators, including Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), among others.

Read the full letter here.

For more information, please visit the Semafor report.