Congress probes US military for hosting Iranian official who boasted about plotting to kill American leaders.

Congress Demands‍ Answers from U.S. Military Leaders Over Controversial Invitation

Congress is ‍demanding answers from senior U.S. military leaders after one of the country’s premier war fighting outfits hosted a former Iranian official ⁢who came⁢ under fire last ‌year for bragging about the hardline regime’s efforts to ⁣assassinate​ American leaders, the‌ Washington​ Free Beacon has learned.

The probe—spearheaded by Sen.​ Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) and⁢ Rep. Mike Rogers (R., ‌Ala.), ranking member of the‌ Senate Armed Services Committee and chair of the House Armed Services Committee—comes on the heels of a Free Beacon report ⁣ on U.S. Strategic Command’s decision to host​ a keynote ⁣address by‌ Hussein Mousavian, a former member⁤ of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team who works ⁢ as⁢ a Middle East security and⁣ nuclear policy⁤ specialist at Princeton University.

Mousavian⁢ was ‍invited by top military ⁣brass to address STRATCOM’s 2023 Deterrence Symposium, a‌ high-level powwow that​ gave the former Iranian official access to high-level Americans leaders.

Mousavian’s appearance at the military‍ confab drew criticism from⁤ former U.S. officials and members of Congress, who raised concerns about‌ American military members ⁢hobnobbing with a close ally of ⁢Iran’s hardline regime. Now, the matter​ is under investigation ⁤by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, which have oversight jurisdiction​ over STRATCOM and the Pentagon.

Wicker and Rogers are demanding to know “the names and positions of all officials responsible for approving the invitation ​to Mousavian,” according⁤ to ⁢a letter ⁢sent Thursday to STRATCOM commander Gen. ⁣Anthony ⁢Cotton‌ and obtained by ‍the Free Beacon.⁢ Mousavian thanked Cotton ‌for inviting him to the conference during his remarks at the gathering.

Congressional investigators also want to know ‍if the ‍U.S. military provided compensation to Mousavian, or paid for his travel, hotel, or other accommodations.

“Providing Mousavian ​with an officially sanctioned‌ U.S. Government platform for ⁣spreading historical⁣ falsehoods and Iranian ​regime ‌propaganda is ⁤profoundly ⁢ill-advised,” Wicker and Rogers write. “The ⁢decision to‍ invite Mousavian to address its Deterrence⁣ Symposium calls into question the judgement of any personnel involved in such a decision, and leads⁣ us to question whether the command is appropriately⁣ focused on meeting ‍the‌ rapidly growing strategic‌ threats to ⁣the ‍United States ⁤and its allies.”

The lawmakers​ point out that Mousavian has “mocked U.S. ⁢officials under⁢ assassination threat from the Iranian regime.” Those comments, made in a⁣ 2022 documentary produced by Iran’s Islamic ⁢Revolutionary Guards⁣ Corps, drew widespread condemnation and calls for Princeton ⁤to fire the former Iranian official.

“Mousavian smiled while ‍referring to Iranian death threats against former special representative for Iran Brian ‌Hook,” the lawmakers write.

During his speech ⁢at‌ the STRATCOM ⁤conference, Mousavian ⁢presented an “Iranian perspective” on the ⁣current threat⁤ landscape within the Middle East and accused America of committing unjustified acts of aggression towards Iran⁤ dating back nearly‌ a century.

The Princeton professor also criticized former president Donald Trump for ‌nixing‍ the⁣ 2015 nuclear deal ‍with Iran, claiming the Islamic Republic was fully complying with its restrictions.

“Iran complied completely [with the deal] with zero failure ​for three years, but ⁣the U.S. again broke the promise,” Mousavian said. “Trump’s‌ withdrawal ​from ⁤the nuclear deal was really ‍a​ disaster.”

Trump “also had popular Iranian Revolutionary‍ Guard General [Qassem] Soleimani ​assassinated,” added Mousavian, who‍ attended the late⁣ terrorist leader’s funeral in Tehran.

Richard ‌Goldberg, a former White⁢ House National ‌Security ‌Council member,​ warned the situation has now elicited “a catastrophic crisis⁣ of ‍confidence in ⁤this​ command’s judgment.”

A STRATCOM spokesman defended the⁤ invitation to Mousavian when contacted earlier this week by the Free ‍Beacon.

“We were aware of Mr. Mousavian’s ⁣previous position within‍ the ⁤Iranian government and ​believe ​that, in the context of the Deterrence ⁣Symposium, we would‍ have benefited ⁢from that ⁢insight⁣ into an opposing viewpoint,” the spokesman said.

Republicans ⁢in Congress disagree.

“Mousavian helped⁢ lead ⁤the murderous Iranian regime’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons so ⁤it could threaten the United States and our allies​ with annihilation,” Rep. ⁣Jim Banks (R., Ind.), also ⁢a member of the House ⁣Armed Services ⁣Committee, told the Free Beacon on Tuesday. “Now he’s in semi-retirement ⁣at Princeton as a full-time propagandist for the IRGC. Inviting him to spread lies at a U.S. military seminar​ is insanity.”