Central Intelligence Agency – War Watch

Afghanistan War (2001- ) | Central Intelligence Agency | Civilian Casualties | Deaths (Fatalities) | Decisions and Verdicts | Federal Bureau of Investigation | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic State Khorasan | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Justice Department | Kabul (Afghanistan) | Kabul International Airport | Patel, Kashyap | Terrorism | Trump, Donald J | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States Politics and Government

Jury Delivers Mixed Verdict in Case of Afghan Charged in 2021 Kabul Attack
ByCharlie Savage April 29, 2026April 29, 2026

Jurors found the man guilty of conspiracy to support the terrorist group that took credit for a horrific bombing, but deadlocked on whether he was responsible for the attack itself.

Read More Jury Delivers Mixed Verdict in Case of Afghan Charged in 2021 Kabul Attack
Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Central Intelligence Agency | Defense Department | Hegseth, Pete | internal-open-access-from-nl | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Maduro, Nicolas | Mossad | Netanyahu, Benjamin | Ratcliffe, John Lee (1965- ) | Rubio, Marco | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | United States Politics and Government | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | Vance, J D | Wiles, Susie

How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran
ByJonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

In a series of Situation Room meetings, President Trump weighed his instincts against the deep concerns of his vice president and a pessimistic intelligence assessment. Here’s the inside story of how he made the fateful decision.

Read More How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran
Central Intelligence Agency | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Khamenei, Mojtaba (1969- ) | Nuclear weapons | Persian Gulf | Rescues | Strait of Hormuz | Threats and Threatening Messages | Trump, Donald J | United States Air Force | United States Central Command | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States International Relations | United States Politics and Government | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

Trump’s Lesson From Risky Rescue: Threaten to Go Harder at Iran
ByDavid E. Sanger April 5, 2026April 6, 2026

In an expletive-laced social media post, the president said Iran should open the Strait of Hormuz or he would bomb bridges and power plants.

Read More Trump’s Lesson From Risky Rescue: Threaten to Go Harder at Iran
Central Intelligence Agency | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Rescues | Trump, Donald J | United States Air Force | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | War and Armed Conflicts

How the CIA Helped Locate a Missing Airman After Iran Downed a U.S. Fighter Jet
ByJulian E. Barnes April 5, 2026April 5, 2026

The intelligence agency also executed a deception campaign aimed at drawing Iranian forces away from where the missing Air Force officer was hiding.

Read More How the CIA Helped Locate a Missing Airman After Iran Downed a U.S. Fighter Jet
Central Intelligence Agency | Cotton, Tom | Gabbard, Tulsi (1981- ) | internal-open-access-from-nl | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Missiles and Missile Defense Systems | Office of the Director of National Intelligence | Ossoff, Jon | Ratcliffe, John Lee (1965- ) | Senate Committee on Intelligence | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

U.S. Intelligence Saw No Change in Iran’s Missile Capabilities Before War
ByRobert Jimison March 18, 2026March 19, 2026

On Wednesday, the director of national intelligence and C.I.A. director contradicted one of the justifications the Trump administration had given for its attacks on Iran.

Read More U.S. Intelligence Saw No Change in Iran’s Missile Capabilities Before War
Central Intelligence Agency | International Relations | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Iraq | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Kurdistan | Kurds | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

Pro-American Kurdish Forces Are Preparing Possible Iran Incursion
ByErika Solomon, Julian E. Barnes, Christiaan Triebert, Parin Behrooz and Farnaz Fassihi March 5, 2026March 5, 2026

The C.I.A. has given small weapons to Iranian Kurdish forces in Iraq in a covert program that began before the current war.

Read More Pro-American Kurdish Forces Are Preparing Possible Iran Incursion
Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud | Al Qaeda | Assassinations and Attempted Assassinations | Central Intelligence Agency | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Khamenei, Ali | Netanyahu, Benjamin | Persian Gulf | Targeted Killings | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | War and Emergency Powers (US) | War Powers Act (1973)

Can Trump Legally Kill Iran’s Leader?
ByCharlie Savage March 2, 2026March 3, 2026

The United States and Israel started a war with Iran by killing its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Read More Can Trump Legally Kill Iran’s Leader?
Araghchi, Abbas | Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Carlson, Tucker | Central Intelligence Agency | Defense Department | internal-open-access-from-nl | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Khamenei, Ali | Kushner, Jared | Netanyahu, Benjamin | Ratcliffe, John Lee (1965- ) | Supreme National Security Council (Iran) | Trump, Donald J | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States International Relations | United States Politics and Government | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | Vance, J D

How Trump Decided to Go to War With Iran
ByMark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager, Edward Wong, Eric Schmitt and Ronen Bergman March 2, 2026March 2, 2026

President Trump’s embrace of military action in Iran was spurred by an Israeli leader determined to end diplomatic negotiations. Few of the president’s advisers voiced opposition.

Read More How Trump Decided to Go to War With Iran
Assassinations and Attempted Assassinations | Central Intelligence Agency | Defense and Military Forces | Espionage and Intelligence Services | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Khamenei, Ali | Politics and Government | Tehran (Iran) | Trump, Donald J | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States Politics and Government | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

The C.I.A. Helped Pinpoint a Gathering of Iranian Leaders. Then Israel Struck.
ByJulian E. Barnes, Ronen Bergman, Eric Schmitt and Tyler Pager March 1, 2026March 1, 2026

The killing of Iran’s supreme leader and other top Iranian officials came after close intelligence sharing between the United States and Israel, according to people familiar with the operation.

Read More The C.I.A. Helped Pinpoint a Gathering of Iranian Leaders. Then Israel Struck.
Al Qaeda | Central Intelligence Agency | Defense Department | Grossi, Rafael | International Atomic Energy Agency | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Nuclear weapons | Trump, Donald J | United States Politics and Government

Fact-Checking Trump’s Justifications for Attacking Iran
ByLinda Qiu February 28, 2026

The president made unsupported and exaggerated claims in a speech announcing the attack on Iran.

Read More Fact-Checking Trump’s Justifications for Attacking Iran