Washington, Aug. 30, SPA -- High-ranking officials at the Pentagon and State Department have been interviewed or briefed by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents investigating a Defense Department analyst suspected of passing to Israel classified materials on Iran. Among those briefed by the FBI was Douglas Feith, the Pentagon undersecretary for policy who is a superior of the analyst under investigation, said government officials speaking on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing. The FBI agents briefed Feith on Sunday in his office at the Pentagon and also asked questions, the officials said. They also said other officials at State and Defense have been interviewed or briefed, but they declined to provide any other names. There was no immediate indication that the criminal investigation has widened beyond the single analyst, identified as Larry Franklin. Franklin works in an office dealing the Middle East affairs and has access to classified government information. The investigation focuses on whether Franklin passed classified U.S. material on Iran to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an influential Israeli lobbying organization in Washington, and whether anyone in that group forwarded the information on to Israeli officials. Israeli officials did confirm Monday that a senior Israeli diplomat in Washington has met with Franklin. Prosecutors were still deciding whether to bring the most serious charge of espionage against Franklin or others, or a lesser charge such as mishandling classified information. --SPA 2325 Local Time 2025 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/196547