Ex-CIA Chief Says US-Assassinated Iranian General Soleimani Was His Personal ‘Nemesis’

Former Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan, who will be remembered by many as a defender of the use of “enhanced interrogation” practices on al-Qaida* suspects, has recently grabbed worldwide attention after slamming the November killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh as “a criminal act.”

The ex-CIA director under the Barack Obama administration, John Brennan, said during the interview with Israel’s Haaretz that late Iranian Top General Qasem Soleimani was his personal “nemesis” during his work for the agency.

Brennan, however, slammed the assassination of the senior general, who was murdered in a Trump-authorised drone strike in Iraq in January this year. According to the former Obama staffer, the killing of “a senior Iranian government official” was a “very arbitrary and dangerous” act which came “without any type of international, lawful basis, without being at war with Iran and without a Security Council decision.”

“I’ve said, and I was criticised for it, that I was not supportive at all of the US strike against Soleimani. I do not disagree that Soleimani had blood on his hands: He was responsible for supporting terrorist groups, as well as for actions they carried out,” Brennan explained.

Central Intelligence Director (CIA) Director John Brennan walks to his podium to begin a news conference at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Va., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014

Former CIA chief has expressed remorse for the fact that Soleimani’s assassination was applauded in the United States “on both sides of the political aisle”, ignoring the fact that Trump administration had basically violated the international standards and norms with the move.

Speaking to the newspaper via Skype, Brennan argued that he “wouldn’t be surprised” to find out that Israel “encouraged or even provided some support for the operation.”

Killing of Iran’s Nuclear Scientist Fakhrizadeh

Brennan’s interview was conducted shortly before another high-profile assassination of an Iranian senior official, nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, near Tehran late last month.

On 27 November, Fakhrizadeh, who was dubbed by Israel as “head of Iran’s nuclear weapons programme”, was fatally wounded in a gun and bomb attack in a road ambush near Absard town and later died in hospital. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iranian leadership has wholeheartedly blamed the scientist’s death on Israel.

Members of Iranian forces carry the coffin of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran November 30, 2020

Shortly after the assault, John Brennan took to Twitter to criticize the killing as a “criminal” and “highly reckless” act that would endanger the region’s stability.

His comments prompted a strong response from Republican Senator for Texas, Ted Cruz, who accused the Obama-era official of siding with “Iranian zealots”. Brennan replied by suggesting instead that Cruz’s approach to the national security matters was “lawless” and “simple-minded”.

Is Netanyahu a ‘Liar’?

In his conversation with Haaretz, Brennon referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “not a very principled or ethical individual” when asked to clarify whether he believed that the politician was a “liar”, as reportedly once described by Obama and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“He is a very cagey and wily political operative and politician,” Brennan argued. “He has, I think, a very, very astute understanding and manipulation of Israeli, domestic politics.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, all mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, arrive for a press conference after their trilateral meeting in Jerusalem on November 18, 2020.

“I found that his depiction of reality distorted the truth, but in that regard he’s very typical of a politician,” the ex-intelligence officer added. “He is, as I said, a strong political operative who will change his views, his position, and not follow through on his commitments if he feels it’s in his best political interest not to.”

Discussing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Brennan noted that the “two-state solution”, a type of settlement that would see independent state of Israel existing alongside the State of Palestine, does not seem “viable” to him in the longer term based on the current approach of the Israeli government.

However, he said, if Netanyahu thought “a two-state solution would benefit his political interests, he probably would pursue it.”

Was Israel Involved in Osama Bin Laden’s Killing?

Asked about whether the assassination of al-Qaeda’s founder Osama Bin Laden in 2011 by Obama-ordered operation was assisted by Israel, Brennan said that it was American act, although not one without vital information from Tel Aviv.

“So it was a great big puzzle that was put together, and, you know, Israel has always been one of the main providers of those puzzle pieces to US intelligence,” he concluded.

Brennan’s Legacy

The interview came in the light of recent publication of Brennan’s memoir “Undaunted: My Fight Against America’s Enemies, At Home and Abroad”, which has covered 40 years of his work for the United States at a variety of posts, including CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia, chief of staff of CIA Director George Tenet, director of the national anti-terror center and homeland security adviser to ex-President Obama. In 2013, Brennan was appointed by Obama as CIA director.

Former CIA Director John Brennan is sworn-in on CapitolHill in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017, prior to testifying before the House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation Task Force

During his work, the intelligence officer faced some scrutiny for earlier defending the CIA’s practice of torturing Al-Qaida terrorist suspects, described by the agency as “enhanced interrogation techniques”. In the book, which was published in October of this year, Brennan said that he regrets his decision not to oppose the controversial methods and not to caution his then-boss George Tenet about the grave consequences his decision to allow the practices would have.

Sourse: sputniknews.com