Obama Deep State gets the vapors [WSJ via Drudge] State and Pentagon officials were rattled by the request
President Trump's National Security Council asked the Pentagon to provide the White House with military options to strike Iran last year, generating concern at the Pentagon and State Department, current and former U.S. officials said.
The request, which hasn't been previously reported, came after militants fired three mortars into Baghdad's sprawling diplomatic quarter, home to the U.S. Embassy, on a warm night in early September. The shells‐launched by a group aligned with Iran‐landed in an open lot and harmed no one.
But they triggered unusual alarm in Washington, where Mr. Trump's national security team led by John Bolton conducted a series of meetings to discuss a forceful American response, including what many saw as the unusual request for options to strike Iran.
"It definitely rattled people," a former senior U.S. administration official said of the request. "People were shocked. It was mind-boggling how cavalier they were about hitting Iran."
Perhaps you should find another field of work
The Pentagon complied with the National Security Council's request to develop options for striking Iran, the officials said. But it isn't clear if the proposals were provided to the White House, whether Mr. Trump knew of the request or whether serious plans for a U.S. strike against Iran took shape at that time.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, here visiting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad this month, joined forces with national security adviser John Bolton to develop a more aggressive policy aimed at weakening the government in Tehran.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, here visiting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad this month, joined forces with national security adviser John Bolton to develop a more aggressive policy aimed at weakening the government in Tehran.
Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the body "coordinates policy and provides the president with options to anticipate and respond to a variety of threats."
"We continue to review the status of our personnel following attempted attacks on our embassy in Baghdad and our Basra consulate, and we will consider a full range of options to preserve their safety and our interests," he said.