EXCLUSIVE: Israel-aligned officials supply Trump false intel on scope of Resistance Axis attacks

 EU and West Asian officials fear Iran is preparing for a 'devastating battle scenario' that would lead to the destruction of key Saudi and Israeli infrastructure, the closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty  

News Desk - The Cradle

Sources informed The Cradle on 1 April that an “Israeli-aligned current" within the White House, led by Jared Kushner, has been supplying US President Donald Trump with "manipulated information” that downplays Iran’s missile attack frequency and minimizes the casualties caused by Iraqi and Lebanese resistance strikes.

Furthermore, leaked information from the US National Security Council (NSC) indicates that, over the past 72 hours, senior officials, including War Secretary Pete Hegseth and State Secretary Marco Rubio, have been steering Trump toward a “broader escalation plan” ahead of his April 1 speech.

The misinformation operation allegedly also involves manipulated casualty numbers from Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and recent comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hebrew media.

The sources indicated that as this escalation approaches, anti-war officials in the US, along with European and regional governments, have expressed fears that Iran may escalate to a “devastating battle scenario,” based on the course of the 33-day war. 

"This would involve destroying Saudi oil production infrastructure and Israel's electricity infrastructure, followed by destabilizing and closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and ultimately withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” the sources said.

The Intercept reported on Wednesday night that the Pentagon is “refusing” to acknowledge that at least 750 US troops have been wounded or killed in West Asia since October 2023, and accused CENTCOM officials of a “casualty cover-up.”

This information comes as Trump is set to give an address at 9pm on Wednesday to “declare victory” in his war of aggression against Iran, people familiar with the matter confirmed to POLITICO.

The president is expected to “harshly scapegoat NATO allies for the biggest unresolved matter of the war, Iran’s ongoing restrictions of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Trump has also been threatening to exit NATO and insisting that nations that rely on fuel from the Persian Gulf should “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.”

On Wednesday, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Trump threatened to “halt arms shipments” to Ukraine if Europe does not join a coalition to wrestle control of the Strait of Hormuz away from Iran, which has reportedly set up a “formal system” to allow vessels from friendly nations safe passage through the key waterway.

Since the start of the US and Israel's war against Iran, at least 10 countries around the world have implemented official emergency or crisis measures due to fuel disruptions stemming from the war.

At the same time, oil-rich nations in West Asia, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq, are facing production stops, storage issues, and force majeure declarations amid ongoing retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Republic.

Trump's victory speech will air on the same day as Wave 89 of Operation True Promise 4, which saw a combined operation by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), and Hezbollah targeting Israel.