Former SECDEF Wants to See Evidence Iran Involved In UK Airbase Plot

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is urging the United States to establish Iran’s involvement in a suspected terrorist plot against a British airbase before launching retaliatory strikes, even as British officials point to intelligence suggesting a connection to Tehran.

Speaking Thursday on CNN, the former Obama administration official said intelligence agencies should substantiate responsibility for the alleged operation before President Donald Trump authorizes military action in response.

The suspected plot targeted U.S. and British assets at an installation in the United Kingdom used by American forces. It has added another potential flashpoint to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

CNN host Wolf Blitzer opened the exchange by citing the British prime minister’s assessment.

“The British prime minister now says there are, in his words, strong indications Iran was, in fact, involved in this alleged plot to target a U.K. air base — this is a separate incident — that is used by the United States,” Blitzer said.

“Iran is denying that. But you’re a former defense secretary. Should the U.S. take action if Iran’s involvement in this other case proves to be true?” he asked.

Panetta, who led the Pentagon from 2011 to 2013 under President Barack Obama, responded by emphasizing the need to establish the facts.

“Well, again, I’m a believer that you’ve got to determine the facts,” Panetta said. “You have to determine what the truth is.

“And at this point in the game, there’s always a great deal of speculation on all sides as to what took place, particularly when the world is confronting terrorism in the Middle East and the United States and Israel are at war with Iran,” he continued.

His remarks focused on the evidentiary threshold for retaliation rather than endorsing an immediate response to the British assessment.

Panetta also served as CIA director during the Obama administration. It remains unclear whether he currently has access to classified information concerning the alleged plot, making his comments a public assessment rather than an indication of what intelligence agencies have established behind closed doors.

He called for American, Israeli and other intelligence services to determine who was responsible, what they intended and how the events should be classified.

“A lot of conclusions can be jumped to. But prior to any kind of military action, I think it is incredibly important that intelligence, particularly from the CIA and Mossad and the other intelligence agencies that are involved, be able to substantiate the facts as to who was involved, what was the intent, and whether or not this is a terrorist act, whether or not the events that took place in Britain were, in fact, a terrorist act,” he said.

Panetta acknowledged that Britain’s intelligence assessment mattered, while arguing that Washington should conduct its own close review before using it to justify additional strikes.

“For Britain to indicate that there’s some intelligence to that effect, that’s important. But, again, I would want the CIA to take a very close look at that intelligence before justifying any kind of military action,” he said.

“You speak as a former CIA director,” Blitzer noted.

The exchange highlights the stakes for the administration. Evidence that Tehran supported an operation against an allied installation housing American military assets would carry serious implications for force protection and the security of U.S. facilities overseas.

Britain’s stated indications of Iranian involvement and Tehran’s denial remain competing public accounts. Panetta’s position is that intelligence agencies must resolve the questions of responsibility before military retaliation is justified.

The discussion came as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran encountered another setback.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation to leave New York following the United Nations General Assembly, according to U.S. officials. The officials said the delegation had “overstayed their welcome.”

Iran rejected that characterization, saying its representatives were not expelled and departed according to a previously established schedule.

The disagreement followed indirect negotiations that failed to produce a breakthrough on the ongoing conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz or the possibility of renewed talks over Iran’s nuclear program.

Araghchi had remained in New York after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian left following his General Assembly appearance. Qatar was attempting to mediate between the two governments during the foreign minister’s extended stay.

Despite the conflict and strained relations, the Trump administration issued visas to Pezeshkian, Araghchi and members of their delegation so they could attend the U.N. gathering.

Those visas imposed significant restrictions on where the Iranian officials could travel while in New York.

Before the General Assembly, the State Department said admitting Iran’s core delegation was consistent with the United States’ responsibilities as host country for the United Nations.

By Monday, however, American officials were expressing frustration with the lack of negotiating progress. Thursday’s demand that the delegation leave marked a further deterioration in the diplomatic exchange, though Tehran continued to dispute the U.S. account of its departure.

The administration now faces unresolved questions on both fronts: whether further diplomacy can produce an acceptable agreement and what the intelligence establishes about the suspected plot in Britain.

Panetta is calling for caution before retaliation. For Trump’s national security team, the immediate task is determining whether Iran’s conduct warrants a response beyond the military and economic pressure already underway.