Israel warned the United States that Iran is considering using chemical weapons
Israel shared intelligence with the United States that Iran is considering using chemical weapons, The New York Times reported. Israeli officials framed the threat as more urgent than Iran’s nuclear ambitions. U.S. intelligence agencies largely agree Iran is developing chemical weapons but dispute whether its leaders would use them; Gulf governments reportedly viewed the claims as lacking seriousness.
More context
Israel warned the United States that Iran is considering using chemical weapons against its adversaries, according to a New York Times report cited by Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. Over the past two weeks, senior Israeli officials told U.S. intelligence agencies and other officials that the chemical-weapons threat was more urgent than Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the report said. Israeli intelligence officials said they believe Iran is rapidly advancing technology to mount chemical weapons on missiles or smuggle them into Israel or another country for an attack. There is little disagreement within the U.S. intelligence community that Iran is developing chemical weapons, but officials are divided over whether Iranian leaders would use them, particularly if Iran is not attacked again. Israel also shared its assessments with Gulf states; an official said Gulf governments regarded the claims as lacking seriousness.
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Verifier’s note
The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz both report that Israeli officials warned the United States about Iran’s possible use of chemical weapons and that U.S. officials were skeptical or divided, consistent with the proposed event. Both were published on November 3, 2026, and their accounts point to The New York Times rather than independent reporting.