Ex-CIA Analyst Alleges Trump and Netanyahu Deliberately Sabotaged Iran Negotiations

The latest attacks by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran and Lebanon have the potential to disrupt ongoing diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, according to a former Central Intelligence Agency analyst. Larry Johnson assessed that the military actions could instead trigger a new wave of escalation amid the peace negotiation process. Johnson’s statement came after the US military launched strikes on Qeshm Island and several targets in southern Iran on Wednesday local time. Washington stated the operation was conducted in response to the downing of a US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter off the coast of Oman. President Donald Trump accused Iran of being behind the helicopter incident. However, Tehran has yet to confirm or acknowledge any involvement. Johnson questioned the rationale used by the Trump administration to conduct the strikes, particularly as both helicopter pilots were reported to have survived. ‘It makes no sense,’ Johnson said in an interview with RT. According to him, if the pilots are still alive, it is difficult to explain why Washington chose to conduct a military strike while diplomacy was still underway. ‘If they’re still alive, why did Donald Trump launch a strike on Iran when they’re supposedly in the middle of peace talks? The only reason I can think of is that he did it deliberately to sabotage the negotiations,’ he stated. Johnson also alleged that Trump faces pressure from groups in the US that support Israel. He noted that several pro-Israel political figures, including US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, hold hardline views on Iran and do not want a deal between Washington and Tehran to be reached. ‘The Zionist groups are applying heavy pressure,’ Johnson said. ‘They insist on destroying Iran. They do not want a deal with Iran.’ Nonetheless, the accusations represent Johnson’s personal views and were not accompanied by published evidence in the interview. Besides criticising Washington’s move, Johnson also highlighted Israel’s air strike on Beirut last Sunday. He assessed that the Israeli military operation had the same objective, namely to provoke wider tensions that could derail the ongoing diplomatic process. Johnson judged that the developments in the peace talks had previously shown quite significant progress, something he believes is not desired by neoconservative groups in the US or the Israeli government. ‘Too much progress was being made during the peace talks for the neoconservatives and for Israel, so they are doing everything they can to sabotage it,’ he said. He predicted the situation could trigger a fresh round of regional tension in the near term. ‘I think this is going to lead to a new round of escalation that could last for a week or two,’ Johnson concluded.