The Real Intelligence Failure in Iran
A costly quagmire was predictable. Trump went to war anyway.
Shane Harris
Shane Harris is a staff writer at The Atlantic covering national security and intelligence. He can be reached on Signal at shaneharris.64. He has written about intelligence, security, and foreign policy for more than two decades, including as a staff writer for The Washington Post, where he was part of the team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. In 2023, he co-reported the documentary The Discord Leaks with PBS Frontline, which was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding investigative news coverage. He is the author of two books, The Watchers and @War.
Latest
Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty A Turning Point in the Iran War
The president is discovering the high stakes of an escalation that damages energy facilities.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Gallo Images / Getty. The First Big Administration Defection Over Iran
Joe Kent has quit. Will Tulsi Gabbard be next?
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Anna Moneymaker / Getty; Chip Somodevilla / Getty. A Mysterious Code Is Being Broadcast on Shortwave Radio. Is It Iran?
The regime is overmatched militarily, but still has tools for returning fire.
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic ‘The Worst-Case Outcome Is Complete Chaos’
Killing the supreme leader was one thing. Ousting the regime will be another.
Hugo Clarence Janody / Hans Lucas / Redux Trump Seizing Greenland Could Set Off a Chain Reaction
After Venezuela, Europeans are taking the president’s threats seriously.
Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP Even Close Allies Are Asking Why Trump Wants to Run Venezuela
Nicolás Maduro was plucked out of Caracas, but the more shocking news was what the White House plans next.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: EYEPRESS / Reuters; Joe Raedle / Getty; Maxar / Getty; PARRA / AFP / Getty. They Killed My Source
A man claiming to be an Iranian intelligence officer promised me he would reveal his country’s secrets. Then he disappeared.
Adam Maida Pentagon Report: Hegseth Risked Endangering Troops With Signal Messages
The inspector general finds that the defense secretary violated his department’s policies.
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Sources: Win McNamee / Getty; Andrew Harnik / Getty. Tulsi Gabbard’s Quest to Bring the ‘Deep State’ Under Her Control
A memo circulating within the federal government lays out her office’s reasoning for wanting to transfer counterintelligence work away from the FBI.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: CNN / Getty; Eric Lee / Bloomberg / Getty.
