Trump official to The Grayzone: CIA’s Ratcliffe acts as ‘Mossad stenographer’ on Iran

from Grayzone

A Trump official tells The Grayzone that Israel’s Mossad is using CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US CENTCOM’s Gen. Michael Kurilla to influence Trump with cooked intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program. Inside the White House, dissenters have been isolated, setting the stage for a regime change war that could cost American lives.

Listen to/watch Max Blumenthal read this article here.

An official in the administration of President Donald Trump has told The Grayzone that CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla have become vehicles for Israel’s Mossad and military as they seek to manipulate the US into attacking Iran. The Trump official referred to Ratcliffe as “Mossad’s stenographer.”

According to the official, Ratcliffe and Kurilla have pressured Trump to join Israel’s war more directly by regurgitating overblown briefings they received from the Israeli military and Mossad director David Barnea – but without informing the president that the intelligence was derived from a foreign third party.

During the Trump administration’s meetings with Israeli intelligence officials including Barnea, the official said the Israelis have demonstrated a single-minded focus on regime change, clamoring for authorization to assassinate Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Israeli officials have emphasized that the moment to take out Khamenei is now.

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Heart of Darkness: Gen. Kurilla and the Birthpangs of the New Middle East

Gen. Kurilla... Col. Walter E. Kurtz... Gen. Smedley Butler... too much or right on the money? Time will tell.

In New Assessment, C.I.A. Chief Says U.S. Strikes ‘Severely Damaged’ Iranian Program

from the New York Times

Classified intelligence about the damage to Iran’s nuclear program from U.S. strikes was at the center of a political tempest on Wednesday as spy chiefs pushed out new assessments and President Trump continued to defend his assertion that Iran’s key facilities had been “obliterated.”

The C.I.A. director, John Ratcliffe, said the strikes had “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear program, and the administration suggested that the initial report, by the Defense Intelligence Agency, was based on preliminary assessments and was already outdated.

The damage was also being assessed by other U.S. spy agencies. No information that has become public from those assessments has supported Mr. Trump’s description of the level of destruction from the U.S. attack, though they all confirmed that the damage had been substantial.

The D.I.A. report was based on information from little more than 24 hours after the American attacks on three of Iran’s nuclear sites...

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Gen. Kurilla and the Birthpangs of the New Middle East

by Scott Creighton

Once again, Gen. Kurilla, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CentCom) is front and center doing Israel's and our 'national interests' bidding on project Return the Shah:

'But the bunker buster bombs did not take out the sites’ centrifuges, which were still “intact,” instead largely damaging aboveground structures, according to the DIA report, which based its findings on a battle damage assessment conducted by U.S. Central Command following the strikes.'  The Hill

'A current U.S. official familiar with the ongoing damage assessment process said that the DIA’s findings—as well as "the partisan hit job published by CNN"—have been "completely debunked" over the past 24 hours, including by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).' Washington Free Beacon  

'The initial report, which is classified, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency with the help of U.S. Central Command. The findings are expected to evolve with time as the Defense Department and broader intelligence community collect more information on the three nuclear sites, which were hit by massive bunker-buster bombs in what was the largest B-2 strike in U.S. history. Military officials have said there is no doubt the sites sustained significant damage but that a "battle damage assessment" would take time to complete.' ABC News 

'The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources said.' CNN 

And then we have this from April of 2025: 

“As with every visit to the IDF, I was thoroughly impressed by the readiness for combat that I saw here. Our military relationship with Israel is solid,” Kurilla stated.  ' ...

'Kurilla is reportedly leading a faction in Washington that seeks to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to greenlight a joint military strike against the Iranian regime.' ...

'Trump told media representatives that he is currently prioritizing a diplomatic solution over a military strike. 

“I’m not in a rush to do it,” Trump said. “Iran has a chance to have a great country, and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that. That’s my first option,” the president argued while stressing that he will not permit Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. 

However, the president has also made it clear that he will approve military action against Iran if the diplomatic efforts fail to prevent Tehran’s quest for nuclear bombs' All Israel News

Gen. Kurilla was pushing for direct unprovoked military action, along with Israel, against Iran, since April of this year and they even had plans to do this back in May. It was Trump who reigned them in.

But evidence of his regime change intentions date back to Jan of 2025 at least which is why the rabid Zionists in Israel love him so. 

 “We now have an unprecedented opportunity to advance the vision of a prosperous and integrated Middle East in which U.S. national interests are advanced and Iran’s violent attempts to upend this peaceful order are defeated,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, Commander CENTCOM (Jan 2025) 

There is nothing about their assessment on CentCom's own website. That's how proud they are of their work.

Trump official to The Grayzone: CIA’s Ratcliffe acts as ‘Mossad stenographer’ on Iran

 

from The Grayzone (H/T Where's BB?)

A Trump official tells The Grayzone that Israel’s Mossad is using CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US CENTCOM’s Gen. Michael Kurilla to influence Trump with cooked intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program. Inside the White House, dissenters have been isolated, setting the stage for a regime change war that could cost American lives.

An official in the administration of President Donald Trump has told The Grayzone that CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla have become vehicles for Israel’s Mossad and military as they seek to manipulate the US into attacking Iran. The Trump official referred to Ratcliffe as “Mossad’s stenographer.”

According to the official, Ratcliffe and Kurilla have pressured Trump to join Israel’s war more directly by regurgitating overblown briefings they received from the Israeli military and Mossad director David Barnea – but without informing the president that the intelligence was derived from a foreign third party...

read more here 

Is Trump Attack on Iran Hinging on Looming Retirement of This Hawkish Pro-Israel US General?

from Common Dreams (H/T Searching for Aunt BB)

Did the Israelis strike Iran when it did because Michael Kurilla is still commander of U.S. Central Command and a “window” for a prospective joint operation with the U.S. might be closing?

Some are speculating that because Kurilla is expected to retire from the military this summer that the Israelis saw their chance. The Army general, 59, has been widely reported to be on one side of a split in the Pentagon over whether the U.S. should support and even be part of Israeli strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.

In April, Israel news outlet Ynet coined him as “The U.S. general Israel doesn’t want to strike Iran without.”

“Israeli defense analysts say the window for a successful attack on Iran’s nuclear program is rapidly closing,” wrote Alon Strimling on April 19. “That window could narrow dramatically once Kurilla steps down, as his successor’s stance remains unclear.”...

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Is Israel's favorite US general helping to push us into war?

from Responsible Statecraft (H/T the elusive Aunt BB)

Did the Israelis strike Iran when it did because Michael Kurilla is still commander of U.S. Central Command and a “window” for a prospective joint operation with the U.S. might be closing?

Some are speculating that because Kurilla is expected to retire from the military this summer that the Israelis saw their chance. The Army general, 59, has been widely reported to be on one side of a split in the Pentagon over whether the U.S. should support and even be part of Israeli strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.

In April, Israel news outlet Ynet coined him as “The U.S. general Israel doesn’t want to strike Iran without.”

“Israeli defense analysts say the window for a successful attack on Iran’s nuclear program is rapidly closing,” wrote Alon Strimling on April 19. “That window could narrow dramatically once Kurilla steps down, as his successor’s stance remains unclear.”

Kurilla is retiring this summer after a nearly 40-year career that dates back to the first Persian Gulf War. Ynet noted that Kurilla “is seen as one of Israel’s staunchest allies in the American defense establishment,” and his relationship “runs deep” dating back to his time as a young officer in his 20s.

“He’s a hawk of hawks,” noted Curt Mills, executive director of the American Conservative. “(The Israelis) knew they were losing an ally soon. They knew the negotiations (with Iran) were ongoing. The Iranians had signaled that they were close to accepting a deal days before the strike. So all of these things were a factor.

"And then meanwhile, I think there's every piece of evidence that Kurilla would at least start the conflict and pop his cork on it before he leaves.”...

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