Cabinet members attend rare meeting at CIA headquarters amid Iranian threat

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:44 PM PT — Friday, May 10, 2019

Details of a secret meeting are beginning to surface, while Iran continues to retaliate against U.S. efforts for denuclearization.
Last week, various important officials — including National Security Adviser John Bolton, CIA Director Gina Haspel, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — met together to discuss matters in Iran. The cabinet officials met outside the White House Situation Room, which is reportedly extremely rare.
The National Security Council would not comment as to what was discussed during the meeting, but sources have said it was likely about covert operations given the meeting’s location at CIA headquarters.
The officials met just days after the U.S. fast-tracked an aircraft carrier and bombers to the Persian Gulf. According to sources close to the matter, Intelligence was warned Tehran approved proxy forces to attack U.S. personnel and assets in the region.

President Trump confirmed it was a matter of national and foreign security.
“Well, they were threatening…we have information that you don’t want to know about,’ he stated. “They were very threatening…we have to have great security for this country and for a lot of other places.”
It’s been one year since President Trump left the Iran Nuclear agreement, which offered Tehran relief on sanctions in exchange for a curbed nuclear program. Instead, the president took a hard-line approach with the Middle Eastern country and reintroduced tough penalties in hopes to put enough pressure on them to stop their nuclear program.
However, Iran has only scaled back on their obligations to the nuclear deal. On Wednesday, they threatened to resume uranium production unless other global powers in the pact agreed to help them skirt the sanctions.
“Under the terms of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action we agreed that we would keep enrichment to the level of 3.67,” stated Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. “We will stop adhering to this and there will no longer be a set level for enrichment of uranium.”

Worshippers chant slogans against the United States and Israel during a rally after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, Friday, May 10, 2019. A top commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said Friday that Tehran will not talk with the United States, an Iranian news agency reported — a day after President Donald Trump said he’d like Iranian leaders to “call me.” (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Hours after the announcement, a White House official responded saying the U.S. is willing to put more sanctions on Iran very soon if they follow through. Analysts say more sanctions could be detrimental for Iran’s economy, which is already doing poorly.
Earlier this week, the National Security Council stated the White House is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but they are fully prepared to fight back if prompted by an attack on the U.S. or its allies.
President Trump said he is still willing to negotiate deals with Iran if they abandon their nuclear program.