White House to Voice of America: Claim of Transferring Information About Mossad Agents to Iran is 'Absolutely False'

The National Security Council of the White House denied recent claims by some media outlets regarding 'providing information about Mossad agents' to the Islamic Republic. A spokesperson for the National Security Council responded to Voice of America regarding a report from an American media outlet that claimed the U.S. had provided information about Mossad agents to the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating that this claim is 'absolutely false.' According to reports, this claim was first published in an article in Fox News based on a report from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida, citing an anonymous source in the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although Fox News removed this article shortly after its publication. The Fox News report claimed that this delegation was apparently trying to send a message to the Iranian government to reduce tensions in the region between the Islamic Republic and Israel. The report alleged that the purpose of sending this delegation was to inform Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, had not informed the Biden-Harris administration about the killing of Ismail Haniyeh and Fouad Shukr. While Israel has claimed responsibility for killing Shukr, it has not yet commented on the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran. Washington and regional mediators are trying to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. The United States, as Israel's most important ally, has stated that a ceasefire in Gaza could reduce the risk of war spreading in the Middle East. With rising tensions following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader in Iran, and the military commander of Hezbollah, Fouad Shukr, in Beirut, the likelihood of a broader war has increased. Following the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 citizens, mostly civilians, and the abduction of more than 250 others, including women, children, and the elderly, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza aimed at recovering the kidnapped hostages and destroying Hamas. Israel, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Diplomatic efforts continue ahead of negotiations in Qatar; the U.S. Secretary of State spoke with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts. The U.S. refrained from commenting on the possibility of the Islamic Republic's participation in ceasefire negotiations. The U.S., the U.K., and Germany emphasized the importance of establishing a quick ceasefire in Gaza: Tehran will pay the price for damaging the negotiations. The U.S. special envoy in Lebanon stated: 'A ceasefire agreement must be reached now; there is no excuse for delay.' Ambiguity surrounds the success of efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza; The New York Times reported that Hamas rejected participation in the negotiations. The Pentagon stated that the possibility of an attack by the Islamic Republic or its proxies this week 'definitely' exists, and we are prepared to support Israel. The U.S. Secretary of State condemned the visit of the Israeli Minister of National Security to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Joe Biden stated: 'I expect' the Islamic Republic not to attack Israel if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.