(DailyVantage.com) – Over the past few years, United States officials have discussed how a spy tool is used to disrupt Iran’s weapons program by preventing the sale of certain weapon parts to Iran. According to the officials, the Central Intelligence Agency is monitoring weapon manufacturers’ digital communications with Iran to prevent shipments of weapon components to the country. The CIA allegedly prevented land, sea, and air transports of weapon parts to Iran. According to two intelligence officials connected to the transport disruptions, the CIA is preventing the manufacturer’s transactions with Iran to prevent attacks on United States troops or their allies.
According to officials, the CIA uses the ongoing effort to disrupt Iran’s weapons program to interfere with Iran’s continued development of a ballistic missile program. The ballistic missile program is concerning to many intelligence agents across the globe, as it would allow Iran to become involved in conflicts like the ongoing war in Ukraine. Officials also believe the weapons program’s success will enable Iran to become engaged in the Israel-Hamas war due to Iran’s outspoken criticisms of Israel in the past.
According to the disclosure from the intelligence officials, the ability to monitor digital communications between foreign manufacturers and nations like Iran comes from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The section specifically cited by the officials is Section 702, which enables agencies like the CIA to collect communications from citizens of foreign nations. The controversial act is facing heavy criticism from members of Congress due to how the FBI allegedly mishandled the database used by intelligence agencies.
According to some reports, the FBI used the database of foreign communications to determine if American protestors, politicians, and political donors communicated with foreign nations. Following the controversy, Congress enacted legislation that prevented other intelligence agencies from abusing the database of foreign communications in a similar manner. According to the Biden Administration, the legislation is “sufficient,” and further reform will only limit intelligence agencies’ effectiveness in monitoring foreign threats.
Despite detailing the ongoing efforts by the Central Intelligence Agency, the intelligence officials aren’t disclosing which foreign manufacturers are involved in Iran’s weapon development program or which components are subject to intelligence monitoring. The two officials’ identities are also unknown, as the White House granted them anonymity to discuss the sensitive CIA operations.
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