A highly classified US intelligence cache leaked on the Internet earlier this month, revealing Israeli contingency plans for a counterattack against Iran. An FBI investigation is ongoing and the possible suspects number in the thousands, but lawmakers and Israeli officials continue to focus on one individual in the Pentagon.

Mast submitted another letter Defense Minister Lloyd Austin on Monday expressed “serious national security concerns over (the promotion of) Ariance Tabatabai to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Training and Education” regarding the leak.

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Tabatabai is an Iranian academic who has previously been investigated for Iranian influence embedded in the US government.

“Given the timing and severity of this security breach, I urge you to open investigations into every individual employed by the Pentagon and other federal agencies who have ties to Iran — including Tabatabai,” Mast wrote. “Failure to do so undermines US national security interests, especially as the Islamic Republic of Iran has attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump and meddled in the 2024 election to favor President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.”

In 2023, Tabatabai was named a participant in the Iran Experts Initiative, a secret program of the Iranian regime that aims to create positive perspectives on the Islamic Republic through influencing experts and commentators.

IEI communication, first published in 2023 via a report in Semaforlinked Tabatabai to the “network of young second-generation Iran experts” who would help sell the idea of ​​a softer Iran nuclear deal to US policy institutes and news outlets. The communications showed that Tabatabai was in regular contact with an Iranian official managing the initiative, including informing him that she would be testifying before Congress about the Iran nuclear deal.

Tabatabai also served under President Joe Biden’s special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, who was unceremoniously removed from his position due to security concerns, including the mishandling of classified information in his dealings with the Iranian regime. His security clearance was revoked.

Tabatabai was also investigated by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency — a fact Mast points out in his letter, acknowledging that “the results of that investigation have not been fully clarified.”

Mast is seeking clarification on how Tabatabai was evaluated for her promotion to the Force Education and Training division, her qualifications and whether there were other candidates for the position.

He further requests clarification on whether Tabatabai previously disclosed her work with IEI or “relationships with foreign individuals” during her review and subsequent investigations.

The DOD has stood by Tabatabai during each controversy, maintaining that she had been properly assessed for her positions.

Pentagon Press Secretary and Major General Pat Ryder addressed the latest Israeli intelligence leak at a press conference on October 22.

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“The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and is working closely with the Department of Defense and the intelligence community on this,” Ryder told reporters. “The investigation is in its early days, so it’s important to allow that investigation to continue.”

Addressing the speculation in the US and Israel surrounding Tabatabai, Ryder said: “As far as I know, this official is not a subject of interest.”

The press secretary avoided using her name, saying he didn’t want to “start throwing out names to perpetuate information that, as I pointed out, as far as I know, the official that was being referenced is not a subject of interest.”