On Monday, October 28, the Free Press website reported that Ariane Tabatabai, who previously served as Chief of Staff to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, has taken on a new role in the department, significantly reducing her access to classified U.S. military information and programs.
According to the report, the U.S. Department of Defense recently transferred Tabatabai to her new position quietly. Previously working in the “Office of Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict” (SO/LIC) at the Pentagon, she will now serve as the “Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Education and Force Training.”
Tabatabai’s name had previously been linked to an Iranian regime influence network within the U.S.
In early 2014, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formed a group of analysts and researchers abroad under the “Iran Experts Initiative,” utilizing this network for years to expand the Iranian regime’s soft power and enhance its influence on the international stage.
Three of Robert Malley’s aides, the suspended U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, including Ariane Tabatabai, reportedly maintained close and unconventional ties with the Iranian regime.
In addition to Tabatabai, Ali Vaez and Dina Esfandiary are members of the network guided by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with records of their exchanges with Iranian diplomats having been exposed.
Malley’s security clearance was suspended in April 2023, and he was placed on unpaid leave.
According to several former U.S. Department of Defense officials who spoke to the Free Press, Tabatabai’s new role provides her with much less access to classified military information and programs.
The report added that, on paper, Tabatabai’s appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Education and Force Training does not constitute a promotion, as she was previously a Chief of Staff and is now serving as a Deputy Assistant Secretary.
Another member of the Pentagon’s Office of Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict told the Free Press that Tabatabai’s previous role was among the most sensitive positions in the entire U.S. government.
The anonymous source added: “I cannot underscore: The things SO/LIC… are doing are more sensitive than what the CIA is doing.”
Recently, before Israel’s attack on the Iranian regime on the morning of October 26, the leak of several Pentagon documents regarding the Israeli military’s plan for this operation made headlines.
Several news outlets at that time reported that Tabatabai was involved in leaking this information, although the report was not officially confirmed by either the U.S. or Israel.
Following these reports, the U.S. Department of Defense emphasized that no evidence has emerged regarding the potential role of a Pentagon official in leaking details of Israel’s plan.
