International security

Bolton Held ‘Rare' Meeting on Iran With Top Intel, DoD Advisers at CIA - Reports

The meeting was held prior to the announcement of the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and a bomber task force of B-52H nuclear-capable bombers to the Middle East, where the US Central Command (CENTCOM) is operating, amid rising tensions between Iran and the US.

A meeting between US National Security Adviser John Bolton and a number of intelligence and military officials was reportedly held on 29 April at CIA headquarters. The meeting was described as "rare" and "unusual", as national security meetings are usually held in the White House Situation Room, and senior White House officials and Cabinet members don't typically attend meetings at the CIA, The Hill reports.

The initiator of the meeting was Bolton, who gathered top US officials, including CIA Director Gina Haspel, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, for a discussion on Iran, The Hill reports.