Secret US contingency plan for war with Iran unmasked: The Intercept

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Intercept
1 Mar 19:54
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The memo does not specify how much money the Pentagon spent on the strategy over the aforementioned years, as per The Intercept.

The Pentagon logo as seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon (Reuters)

A classified Pentagon budget manual listing emergency and special programs reviewed by The Intercept unmasked that the US military has set a budget for secret contingency operations related to an Iran war plan.

According to the manual for the 2019 budget year, the contingency plan, codenamed "Support Sentry", was financed in 2018 and 2019. It defines "Support Sentry" as an Iran "CONPLAN" or concept plan, which is a broad contingency plan for war developed by the military in advance of a potential crisis.

The existence of "Support Sentry" was kept unreported. The memo does not specify how much money the Pentagon spent on the strategy over the aforementioned years, as per the report.

Responding to a question about the program and whether it is still in place, Maj. John Moore, a spokesperson for US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said as quoted by The Intercept, “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on numbered plans. Iran remains the leading source of instability in the region and is a threat to the United States and our partners. We are constantly monitoring threat streams in coordination with our regional partners and will not hesitate to defend U.S. national interests in the region.”

The report argues that "Support Sentry" is one illustration of the United States military's growing acceptance of – and support for – "Israel's" hostility toward Iran. "Israel can and should do whatever they need to deal with [Iran], and we've got their support," said US Ambassador to "Israel" Tom Nides, earlier this month.

In recent months, the US and "Israel" have also coordinated a growing number of military exercises, which Israeli commanders claim are aimed to test potential assault plans targeting Iran.