According to Ettelaat's reporting from Reuters, a 42-year-old CIA contractor, identified as I.B., was arrested on allegations of accessing and disclosing highly classified documents outside his purview to journalist Aida Chavez, with whom he was in a personal relationship. Chavez is the founder of the independent news outlet Capital and Empire. According to the FBI investigation, I.B. called Chavez multiple times on the days he accessed the documents, and her stories were published shortly after. The presumption of innocence applies.
The most notable documents published by Chavez came from a US intelligence assessment dated May 28. According to this assessment, Israeli officials requested that the Trump administration kill Iran's Parliament Speaker and key figure in Tehran-Washington negotiations Mohammad Baqir Ghalibaf. The same document states that Israel also demanded suspension of negotiations and resumption of attacks on Iran's oil infrastructure, based on an assessment that increased economic pressure could trigger widespread protests and even regime collapse in Iran. These claims have not been officially confirmed or denied by Israel or the US administration; they should be read as "unconfirmed."
According to Kayhan's account, Ghalibaf gave an indirect response during Parliament's Sunday session (November 3) in off-agenda remarks: "Despite enemy attempts to pressure Iran, we will not yield; we stand ready to respond to any audacity against our nation's territorial integrity in ways beyond imagination." Ghalibaf argued that widespread warfare or assassination threats would not cause the Iranian people to relinquish their rights.
How the Persian press covered it
| Source (orientation) | Headline / framing |
|---|---|
| Ettelaat (moderate-traditionalist) | Reported the story directly from the CIA leak scandal and Reuters-sourced assassination claim, including technical investigation details (phone records, access logs). |
| Kayhan (hardline) | Without addressing the leak claims, highlighted Ghalibaf's "we will not yield" message in Parliament; used a defiant frame toward the enemy. |
Context
The alleged leak is not an isolated incident. According to reports from Ynet News and JFeed, I.B. is accused of leaking multiple classified reports to Chavez over months. One reportedly details Israel's efforts to secure continued US military and intelligence support even after Trump's departure. Another references a CIA assessment titled "Internal Division," pointing to risks of domestic conflict in Israel before the elections. A separate leaked report claims that the UAE and Bahrain's kings requested continuation of attacks on Iran, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait—due to damage sustained from Iran's missile and drone strikes—prefer negotiations. These distinctions have not been independently verified. Ghalibaf is known as a prominent figure in Iran's indirect negotiations with the US; regardless of whether the alleged assassination demand is accurate, the story itself demonstrates the depth of trust deficit in the Iran-Israel-US triangle.
