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The Officer Journal: CIA operative and former Iranian Guard member discusses the Iran force U.S. troops face today.

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

ROA Reserve Strength

01/19, 2012

CIA operative and former Iranian Guard member discusses the Iran force U.S. troops face today.

The Officer Journal

By: Christopher Prawdzik, Editor

January – February 2012 Edition

In early 2007, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Peter Pace told Congress that Iranians were a focus of efforts in Iraq. And he noted that in the previous weeks, while trying to pursue insurgent networks in Iraq, U.S. forces had captured Iranians…

… Still, as troops face these threats, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq, gaining an understanding of that force is an evolutionary process in which troops, no doubt, are deeply engaged.

… “I think as a whole [U.S. officials] do not understand the seriousness of the [Iranian] ideology,” Mr. Kahlili said. “We know what factions they support, how they train … but they misunderstand their goals.”

Click on each page to read:

The Officer is the bimonthly journal of the Reserve Officers Association. Its pages are devoted to important topics for Reserve Component members and editions include the following:

Feature stories, expert analysis, and in-depth articles on the Reserve Components, missions involving Citizen Warriors, national security issues, and Reservists balancing civilian and military careers;
An insider’s review of legislation affecting Reservists and ROA’s activities among policymakers;
Discussion of legal issues specifically concerning Citizen Warriors and their families;
Reports on and profiles of programs for Reservists’ spouses and children;
Reviews of books and videos relevant to Citizen Warriors.

Posted in Human Rights, Iran, Iran Nuclear Project, Iran Politics, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, United States of America | No Responses »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, America, Basij, China, Fanatics, Hamas, Hezbollah, IAEA, Iran, Iranian nuclear program, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Mullahs, Nukes, Revolutionary Guards, Russia, Sanctions, Suicide bomber, Syria, Terror Plot, Terrorism, UN, War

U.S. Delusional about Arab Spring, Iran Insists

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

American Thinker

January 2, 2012

By: Reza Kahlili

The Arab Spring is turning into an American Winter, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, believes. Countries from Tunisia and Egypt to Yemen and Bahrain, he insists, are struggling to overthrow ties to the West and embrace Islamist movements, which in the end will look to Iran for leadership.

And the leadership Iran would provide in such a scenario could bring on Armageddon as it amasses nuclear weapons in its quest for Islamic world domination.

“The developments currently unfolding in the world are different than those of the past since they are anti-U.S. and popular in nature,” Khamenei said recently, according to MehrNews, the mouthpiece of the Islamic regime in Iran. “Some assume that the United States is stage-managing these developments behind the scenes, but it is sheer delusion. … Today what we hear in the Arab streets are the same slogans that the Islamic nation of Iran has been saying for the past 30 years.” he said.

“The fact that Western media outlets have predicted and acknowledged that Islamists will emerge victorious in the elections that will be held in countries in transition also prove the Islamic nature of regional revolutions,” Khamenei said.

The Iranian dictator also criticized the U.S. for adopting a double standard toward the developments occurring in Egypt and other countries, adding that any popular, democratic and patriotic person who comes to power in one of those countries will definitely oppose the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel.

In recent months, many Iranian clerics have issued statements of admiration for Khamenei, calling him the deputy of the last Islamic messiah, Mahdi, the Shiites’ 12^th Imam, and even going so far as announcing that disobeying the supreme leader is equivalent to “apostasy from God.” According to Shiite belief, Mahdi will reappear after great world chaos and destruction, and Islam will rule the world.

One prominent ayatollah, Mesbah Yazdi, one of Iran’s leading advocates of Islamic end times’ ideology, has stated that Khamenei ascends to the sky every year for five hours to meet with Imam Mahdi and to consult about what action to take next. It is said that Khamenei has been told by Imam Mahdi to continue full speed with the Iranian nuclear program and not to fear anyone or any threats.

That fanatical belief could become a self-fulfilling prophecy should Revolutionary Guard forces launch a nuclear attack against Israel. Iranian leaders have often stated their goal is to destroy the Jewish state.

The radicals ruling Iran believe that Khamenei is the mythical figure who will pave the way for the Mahdi’s return. They believe the current uprisings in the Middle East — as they call it, an “Islamic awakening” — are another sign that the end is near and that Khamenei is on a righteous path for the final destruction of Israel, America and the infidels.

According to an Iranian secret documentary revealed back in April, titled “The Coming Is Upon Us,” the current unrest in the Middle East is a divine signal that Iran will soon help usher in the end of days and the return of their messiah, Mahdi.

Khamenei, since being appointed the supreme leader of the regime, has shown to be a vengeful and cruel dictator, ordering the assassination of opposition figures outside the country, and the arrest, torture and execution of thousands of Iranians inside the country who voiced their resentment against the injustices of the Islamic regime. Khamenei was responsible for the fraudulent elections of 2009 in selecting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a second term and ordering the suppression of the Iranians with their uprising against the regime.

Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Iranian Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, recently announced that he plans to ask the United Nations to bring Iran’s supreme leader before the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

Reza Pahlavi is among the exiles working for regime change in Iran. He said at a Paris news conference recently that Khamenei must be held responsible for the executions, jailing and torture of political dissidents.

Pahlavi said he will submit a complaint about Khamenei to the five permanent U.N. Security Council members along with a report of the cleric’s alleged crimes.

It is time for the world community to stand on the side of justice and condemn the crimes done by the Islamic regime in Iran and hold its leaders responsible, for if we remain silent, we are complicit.

And silence could very easily lead to that self-fulfilling prophecy.

Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the author of the award winning book, A Time to Betray. He is a senior Fellow with EMPact America and teaches at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy (JCITA).

Posted in Iran Update | No Responses »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Arab Spring, Bahrain, Basij, Democracy, Egypt, Fanatics, Freedom, Green Movement, Hamas, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Iran Uprising, Iranian nuclear program, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Mullahs, Nukes, Revolutionary Guards, Sanctions, Saudi Arabia, Suicide bomber, Syria, Terror Plot, Terrorism, UN, War, Yemen

Iran struggles with rising suicide rate

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Mon, 01/02/2012

RadioZamaneh

The suicide rate in the western Iranian province of Ilam has risen to a critical level, says a provincial health official.

Sadegh Rostami, the head of Ilam’s health and well-being organization, told ISNA on Sunday: “We have no exact recorded statistics about the number of suicides, but according to some research, in some months at least four people commit suicide each week in Ilam Province.”

He added that the majority of the victims are women under the age of 30.

“In some cities, especially Eyvan, the situation has passed the critical stage,” Rostami said.

According to Ilam’s top health official, “divorce and its ensuing problems” are the reason for the high number of women committing suicide.

Unemployment is a major cause of suicide, said Ilam MP Daryoosh Ghanbari, who noted last month that his province has the country’s highest suicide rate.

In the past year, 2,000 people committed suicide in Ilam, according to Ghanbari.

He said the government has not followed through on any of its many promises to create jobs in Ilam.

Ghanbari, who is also a member of Parliament’s social development commission, said: “The employment statistics released by the government are not true. In the past year, it announced the creation of 1.6 million jobs and this year another 2.5 million jobs. If that had been true in both cases, unemployment rates would have reached zero, but in every city the rate is in the double digits.”

Posted in Iran Update | No Responses »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Basij, Democracy, Execution, Fanatics, Freedom, Green Movement, Hezbollah, Iran, Iranian nuclear program, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards, Sanctions, Suicide bomber, Terror Plot, Terrorism, UN, War

KAHLILI: Iran already has nuclear weapons

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Western intelligence has known it for years

By Reza Kahlili

The Washington Times

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The pressure the United States and the West is bringing to bear on Iranto keep it from acquiring nuclear weapons is all for naught. Not only does the Islamic Republic already have nuclear weapons from the old Soviet Union, but it has enough enriched uranium for more. What’s worse, it has a delivery system.

The West for nearly a decade has worried about Iran’s uranium enhancement, believing Iran is working on a nuclear bomb, though the government maintains its uranium is only for peaceful purposes.

When Iran began its nuclear program in the mid-1980s, I was working as a spy for the CIA within the Revolutionary Guards. The Guards‘ intelligence at that time had learned of Saddam Hussein’s attempt to buy a nuclear bomb for Iraq. Guard commanders concluded that they needed a nuclear bomb because if Saddam were to get his own, he would use it against Iran. At that time, the two countries were at war.

Mohsen Rezaei, then-chief commander of the Guards, received permission from the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to start a covert program to obtain nuclear weapons, so the Guards contacted Pakistani generals and Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani nuclear scientist.

Commander Ali Shamkhani traveled to Pakistan, offering billions of dollars for a bomb, but ended up with a blueprint and centrifuges instead. The first centrifuge was transferred to Iran on Khomeini’s personal plane.

In a second but parallel attempt to amass nuclear weapons, Iran turned to the former Soviet republics. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1990,Iran coveted thousands of tactical nuclear warheads that had been dispersed in the former republics.

In the early 1990s, the CIA asked me to find an Iranian scientist who would testify that Iran had the bomb. The CIA had learned that Iranian intelligence agents were visiting nuclear installations throughout the former Soviet Union, with particular interest in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan, which had a significant portion of the Soviet arsenal and is predominately Muslim, was courted by Muslim Iran with offers of hundreds of millions of dollars for the bomb. Reports soon surfaced that three nuclear warheads were missing. This was corroborated by RussianGen. Victor Samoilov, who handled the disarmament issues for the general staff. He admitted that the three were missing from Kazakhstan.

Meanwhile, Paul Muenstermann, then vice president of the German Federal Intelligence Service, said Iran had received two of the three nuclear warheads and medium-range nuclear delivery systems fromKazakhstan. It also was reported that Iran had purchased four 152 mm nuclear shells from the former Soviet Union, which were reportedly stolen and sold by former Red Army officers.

To make matters worse, several years later, Russian officials stated that when comparing documents in transferring nuclear weapons from Ukraine to Russia, there was a discrepancy of 250 nuclear weapons.

Last week, Mathew Nasuti, a former U.S. Air Force captain who was at one point hired by the State Department as an adviser to one of its provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq, said that in March 2008, during a briefing on Iran at the State Department, the department’s Middle East expert told the group that it was “common knowledge” that Iran had acquired tactical nuclear weapons from one or more of the former Soviet republics.

Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, an experienced intelligence officer and recipient of a Bronze Star, told me that his sources say Iran has two workable nuclear warheads.

An editorial in Kayhan, the Iranian newspaper directly under the supervision of the Office of the Supreme Leader, last year warned that ifIran were attacked, there would be nuclear blasts in American cities.

Despite knowing that Iranian leaders were seeking nuclear weapons, Western leaders chose to negotiate and appease with the hope of reaching a solution with Iran. Nearly three years into President Obama’s administration, we must acknowledge that the policies of first a carrot of good will and then a stick of sanctions have neither stopped the Iranians with their nuclear program nor have they deterred their aggressive posture. The Iranian leaders today, despite four sets of United Nations sanctions, continue with their missile and nuclear enrichment program, and they have enough enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs, according to the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report.

The Revolutionary Guards now have more than 1,000 ballistic missiles, many pointed at U.S. military bases in the Middle East and Europe. The Guards also have made great strides in their intercontinental missile delivery system under the guise of their space program. As I revealed earlier, nuclear weapons-capable warheads have been delivered to the Guards, and Iran’s supreme leader has ordered the Guards to arm their missiles with nuclear payloads. Iran’s navy also has armed its vessels with long-range surface-to-surface missiles and soon will expand its mission into the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

“History suggests that we may already be too late to stop Iran’s nuclear bomb. Why do we suppose Iran cannot accomplish in 20 years of trying – with access to vast amounts of unclassified data on nuclear-weapons design and equipped with 21st-century technology – what the U.S. accomplished in three years during the 1940s with the Manhattan Project?” asks nuclear weapons expert Peter Vincent Pry, who served in the CIA and on the EMP Commission, and is now president of EMPact America.

Mr. Pry concludes that Iran only needs a single nuclear weapon to destroy the United States. A nuclear EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack could collapse the national electric grid and other critical infrastructures that sustain the lives of 310 million Americans.

Are we ready to finally realize what the goals and the ideology of the jihadists in Tehran are and take appropriate action against them? The Iranian people themselves, who oppose the dictatorial mullahs, for years have asked us to do so. Thousands of them have lost their lives to show us the true nature of this regime. We must act before it’s too late.

Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA spy who is a fellow with EMPact America and the author of “A Time to Betray,” about his double life in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (Threshold Editions, Simon & Schuster, 2010).

Posted in Iran Update | 1 Response »
Tags: Basij, Democracy, Fanatics, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Nukes, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, UN, War

Jihadists at the Gate (See Video)

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

09/29/2011

By: Reza Kahlili

America!! It’s time to wake up: There’s an Iranian missile base in Venezuela; The Iranian Navy is starting a mission in the Atlantic Ocean and into the Gulf of Mexico; Iranian missiles are being armed with nuclear warheads; Iran now has enough enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs; and Iran has hundreds of terrorist cells in the U.S. and in Europe.

For decades I have tirelessly tried to warn the West about the ideology and agenda of the radicals ruling Iran. I have urged the West to help the people of Iran with their aspirations for freedom and democracy. I have tried to help the West understand the determination of these radicals in their quest to bring about death, destruction and disaster to the world.

However, the Western leaders have instead chosen to allow these radicals not only to slaughter the freedom loving people of Iran but to arm themselves to the teeth and to continue developing their nuclear program unabated, which only emboldens them and confirms their belief that Allah is protecting them — that they are on the right path.

In May, I reported that the Revolutionary Guards were building a missile base in Venezuela (Opinion: Iran is Building a Secret Missile Installation in Venezuela). The leaders of Iran and Venezuela hailed what they called their strong strategic relationship, saying they are united in efforts to establish a “New World Order” that will eliminate Western dominance over global affairs.

I revealed back in July (KAHLILI: Iranian missiles could soon reach U.S. shores) that the Guards have armed their naval vessels with long range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles; that the Iranian Navy plans to start missions in the Atlantic Ocean and into the Gulf of Mexico — off the shores of America’s eastern and southern coasts.

Yesterday, Reuters reported that Iran says it is ready to deploy its Navy near the U.S. coast. It is important to now understand that the danger posed by the Jihadists in Tehran is not only an existential threat to Israel, but soon it will be an existential threat to the U.S.

I also revealed several months ago that the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has ordered the Guards to arm their missiles with nuclear warheads (Does Iran Now Have Nuclear Capable Warheads?). America needs to understand that we cannot fail. We cannot allow them to get the bomb.

The Islamic regime in Iran now has enough enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs. They continue to defy four separate sets of UN sanctions and will soon be arming their missiles with nuclear warheads. Not only will they destroy Israel, but with only one nuclear armed missile for an Electromagnetic Pulse attack, they could bring about the demise of America, as promised by the leaders of Iran. Should that attack occur, over two- thirds of the U.S. population will lose their lives.

If that’s not enough, they have now announced the existence of Hezbollah cells in the U.S. and in the heart of Europe. Their only mission is to destroy the West. The radicals in Iran truly believe that the timing is right, that the time is now for the final glorification of Allah!

See video of Islamic regime’s theorist, Rahim Poor Azgadi, calling for Jihad in America and Europe:

Note: Also Read: Hezb’allah Cells Active Worldwide, Including in U.S.

Posted in Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Basij, Human Rights, Iran, Iran Nuclear Project, Iran Politics, Iran Uprising, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, United Nations | No Responses »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Basij, CIA, Fanatics, Hezbollah, Human Rights, Iran, Iranian nuclear program, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Nukes, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, UN

Remembering 9/11

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

By: Reza Kahlili

09/11/2011

I still remember that day. I was dressing for work when my wife Somaya screamed as she was watching the television. We were shocked and in tears. What we witnessed then lives with us to this day.

I realized at that moment that the weakness in U.S. policy and the lack of understanding of the Jihadists’ ideology left our citizens defenseless. Nearly 3,000 peaceful and loving people lost their lives that day. Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children were unjustly taken from their families.

The lack of response to bin Laden’s previous attacks had emboldened him in his belief that he had become invincible and that, as Allah demanded, America had to be destroyed. The consequences of his brutal attack are still felt across U.S.: Our economy is in shatters; we are engaged in two wars; and we are facing yet another enemy who will have the nuclear bomb.

The radicals in Iran, just like bin Laden, are emboldened by our lack of response to their terrorist activities, their pursuit of the nuclear bomb, and their activities with arming the Taliban in Afghanistan and assisting the Iraqi Militias in attacking our soldiers. They have concluded that this lack of response is due to their belief in Allah, who has promised them the final glory. They have openly stated that the demise of America and the destruction of Israel are at hand and that there is nothing the world can do to stop their nuclear drive.

Today, we should remember the horrific scenes of 9/11 and promise that we will never allow any power to attack our country and harm our citizens.

Today we need to understand the ideology of the Jihadists ruling Tehran and stop our vacillation in confronting them. We should announce that either they stop their nuclear program or we will do it for them.

God Bless the souls of those who were taken from us 10 years ago. Let us never forget 9/11.

God Bless America

Posted in Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Basij, Human Rights, Iran, Iran Nuclear Project, Iran Politics, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, United Nations | No Responses »
Tags: 09/11, Ahmadinejad, Al Qaeda, America, Basij, Fanatics, Iran, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards, Spy, Terrorism

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

09/10/2011

By: Reza Kahlili

Two congressional commissions, the EMP Commission and the Strategic Posture Commission, have warned that terrorists, rogue states (such as Iran), China and Russia could, using a single crude nuclear weapon delivered by a primitive missile, inflict an EMP attack that would cause the collapse of critical civilian infrastructures — such as electric power, telecommunications, transportation, banking and finance, food and water — across the entire continental United States. These are vital for the sustenance of our modern society and the survival of its citizens.

EMPact America has been at the forefront of raising awareness and educating our public officials of the need to pass the SHIELD Act, to amend the Federal Power Act to protect the bulk-power system and electric infrastructure critical to the defense and well-being of the United States against natural and manmade electromagnetic pulse (“EMP”) threats and vulnerabilities.

I urge every citizen of this great nation of ours to take action in raising awareness and to demand that President Obama and the legislators take immediate action to pass the SHIELD Act (H.R. 668).

PRESIDENT OBAMA:

PLEASE ISSUE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROTECT OUR NATION FROM LONG-TERM DISASTER

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT:

WE URGE YOU SIGN THE EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT WAS PREPARED BY THE EMP COMMISSION, WHICH OUTLINES A PLAN FOR PROTECTING OUR NATION’S VULNERABLE ELECTRIC GRID AND PREVENTING A GRID-DOWN SITUATION.

TWO BI-PARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE WORK IN STUDYING THE EMP THREAT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE AND THE STRATEGIC POSTURE COMMISSION, AND PRESENTED THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER, WHICH THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION FAILED TO ACT ON.

YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP BY AUTHORIZING THE MISSION TO GET OSAMA BIN LADEN. WE HOPE YOU ALSO UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY OF PROVIDING SIMILAR LEADERSHIP BY SIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING THIS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROTECT OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FROM ADVERSARIAL AND NATURAL THREATS.

AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE ATTACK OR A GREATGEOMAGNETIC STORM, COULD RESULT IN A NATIONWIDE CATASTROPHIC COLLAPSE OF OUR ELECTRIC GRID.

AT THIS TIME, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE NOT PROTECTED IN THE EVENT OF A THREAT TO OUR ELECTRIC GRID. A NUCLEAR OR NATURAL EMP IS PERHAPS THE MOST CATACLYSMIC THREAT, AND THE MOST URGENT PRIORITY, OF OUR TIME:

SEVERAL COUNTRIES HAVE ACCESS TO NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY AND SOME SUCH AS NORTH KOREA AND IRAN HAVE WRITTEN IN THEIR MILITARY DOCTRINE OF THEIR DESIRE TO USE AN EMP AGAINST THE US

- OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN THREATENED WITH A HIGH-ALTITUDE NUCLEAR ATTACK.

- YOU HAVE RECOGNIZED THE POSSIBILITY OF CYBER ATTACKS, AND

- WE ALL HAVE SEEN THE INCREASE IN SOLAR ACTIVITY.

- ALL OF THESE FACTORS CAN THREATEN OUR ELECTRIC GRID AND, THUS, THE SAFETY OF ALL AMERICANS.

THIS IS A NON-PARTISAN ISSUE, AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL AMERICANS, BY SIGNING THE EXECUTIVE ORDER ON THIS ISSUE THAT WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OF PROTECTING OUR ELECTRIC GRID AND THAT, EQUALLY IMPORTANTLY, WILL SEND A MESSAGE OF HOPE TO OUR ENTIRE NATION.

——————————————————————–

Please see:

Protecting America from EMP attack

Listen to Point of View interview:

Reza Kahlili with DR. Peter Vincent Pry ( President of EMPACT America )

Posted in Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Basij, Iran, Iran Nuclear Project, Iran Politics, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, United Nations | 1 Response »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, CIA, EMP, EMP Attack, Fanatics, Iran, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, North Korea, Nukes, Revolutionary Guards, Spy, Terrorism

SUMMER READING RECOMMENDATIONS: Top pick, “A Time To Betray”

Monday, July 4th, 2011

Joel C. Rosenberg (New York Times best-selling author)

Far and away the best book I’ve read this year was A Time To Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent Inside The Revolutionary Guards of Iran by Reza Kahlili. A reporter friend of mine at CBN first told me about Reza and the book and I bought it on Kindle in April. Wow! Loved it, loved it, loved it. I started reading it and literally couldn’t put it down. It’s a spy story so riveting and a love story so moving that at times I found myself having a hard time breathing, and other times was wiping away tears. I’ve never read a book that took me inside life in revolutionary Iran in 1979, or inside life in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the 1980s, so compellingly as this one does. It’s a must read.

At first, Reza gives us his back story and shares that he was so excited about the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution. But then he begins to witness the horrific acts of evil done by the “Supreme Leader” and his followers. He witnesses arrests and tortures and rapes and hangings — even of friends…by friends. And then Reza makes the decision that will change the course of his life forever. On a trip to California to care for his dying aunt — but without telling his wife — he contacts the FBI and offers information about the objectives, methods and leaders of the IRGC in exchange for political asylum for himself and his wife. His hope is that the U.S. will use the information to bring down the tyrannical Khomeini regime and in the process save many lives. The FBI immediately puts him in contact with the CIA, and a CIA official says they would be happy to give the Kahlilis asylum in the U.S. However, the CIA contact explains that what he really wants Reza to do is to go back to Tehran and become a double agent for the Agency inside the IRGC. How Reza makes his decision, how the Agency trains him, how he penetrates Iran’s secrets and communicates them back to his handlers, and the anxiety and tension he faces every step of the way makes for a stunning read. Heart-breaking is Reza’s inability to tell his wife, or her family, or his family, or any of his friends what he is doing, much less why. They are all increasingly disgusted with Khomeini and the revolution and are, therefore, increasingly angry and distraught when Reza starts growing a beard, appearing more devoutly Muslim, and appears to throw himself so passionately into the dirty work of the revolution, getting promoted and more responsibility along the way. The tension becomes unbearable, and threatens Reza’s marriage.

Also heart-breaking coming to the realization that for all the risks that Reza took for the U.S. government, how little Washington has actually ever done to bring down the murderous and apocalyptic regime in Tehran. Reza’s exasperation with American officials who keep trying to negotiate with or kowtow to the mullahs and ayatollahs is palpable in the book. For so long he felt like he was betraying his native country of Iran and his family on behalf of the CIA. Yet in the end one wonders if he was betrayed by that very Agency and the political leaders who oversee it in Washington. In recent months I have had the opportunity to get to know Reza over the phone, and in person, and have been deeply impressed by his courage and resolve. It was an honor to be able to interview him and show that interview at the 2011 Epicenter Conference. Though he no longer works directly for the CIA (though he does teach at the Pentagon’s Joint Counterintelligence Training Center), Reza is clearly still a man on a mission: to liberate the people of Iran from one of the most evil monstrosities of our time, especially before Iran gets nuclear warheads. I applaud him for what he’s doing, and I encourage people to support his efforts. But I’ll tell you what I’ve told him: Iran is going to be liberated, but not by the President of the United States or by Congress or by the CIA, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39 and Jeremiah 49 reveal that the God of the Bible is going to harshly judge the leaders of Iran in the “last days” and pour out His Holy Spirit and His blessings on that beautiful country and it’s people. He will do so because Iran’s leaders have cursed Christ, the Church, and Israel. The Bible shows us the road to Iran’s liberation will be a very tough one, and the Lord commands us to pray for the people of Iran and to reach every Iranian with the gospel. Reza’s book shows us why the Iranian people are so desperate for the kind of hope and change only Christ can provide.

Joel C. Rosenberg : SUMMER READING RECOMMENDATIONS: Top pick, “A Time To Betray”

Posted in Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Basij, Human Rights, Iran, Iran Politics, Iran Uprising, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, United Nations | No Responses »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, CIA, Democracy, Fanatics, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards, Spy Story, Thriller, True Story

The Road to Fatima Gate

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Michael J. Totten’s new book, “The Road to Fatima Gate,” is an iron and guts first-person narrative about revolution, terrorism, and war in the Middle East that is not only a must read for everyone with any interest in what goes on in the Middle East, but how it could affect us here in America.

The story begins with the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Lebanon and follows through with Michael’s move to Lebanon where he witnessed the Cedar Revolution, the exit of Syrian forces, and the struggle with Hezbollah.

It is a true measure of Michael’s terrific writing ability that he places the reader in the middle of the action painting an extraordinary picture of being bullied by Hezbollah and dodging missiles during the 2006 Lebanese-Israeli border war.

The book takes its title from Fatima Gate, a shuttered Lebanon-Israel border crossing, which has become a flashpoint in the region’s struggle between the Western powers and the Iran-led resistance bloc.

“Lebanon is geographically cursed and has evolved into the principal battleground in the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Iranian-Israeli conflict. Make no mistake, the battle will continue in the Middle East. As long as Iran uses Hezbollah to terrorize Lebanon, its people will find themselves on the frontlines of the Middle East’s next bloodletting,” Totten said.

His three dimensional touch makes the book a real page turner with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Michael Totten should be commended for his courage and his book, “The Road to Fatima Gate.” This is a must read by everyone so that we understand the potential dangers ahead and what we must do to avoid them!

Author: Michael J. Totten

The Road to Fatima Gate: The Beirut Spring, the Rise of Hezbollah, and the Iranian War Against Israel

Posted in Human Rights, Iran, Iran Politics, Terrorism | No Responses »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Basij, Book, Democracy, Fanatics, Hezbollah, Iran, Iran Uprising, Islam, Jihad, Lebanon, Revolutionary Guards

Revelations from “The Coming is Upon Us” Shakes up the Iranian Regime

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Ever since I exposed the Iranian documentary “The Coming is Upon Us,” which promises the imminent coming of the last 12^th Shiite Imam, Imam Mahdi, a heated argument is taking place within the Iranian establishment that is causing panic and concern over the coverage of the movie in the West. The film reveals the regime’s true ideology and plans for the world.

As I stated in my release, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, President Ahmadinejad’s top adviser and chief of staff, was directly involved with this project and he was the first one to be sacrificed over the movie’s publicity in the West. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had strongly supported his sometimes controversial chief of staff, had no option but to fire him from that position, which was announced on April 8^th. One day later Rahim Mashaei, in answer to reporters in Tehran, denied any relation to the makers of the movie though he did not deny all of its facts.

However, the objection to this movie came not only from those opposing Ahmadinejad, but from some hardline radicals, including, Hossein Shariatmadari, the managing editor of Kayhan, Iran’s major state newspaper. He lambasted everyone claiming that now the enemy (the West) is using this video to weaken the Islamic Republic of Iran by showing the inside intimacies of their sacred beliefs to the world.

The Iranian regime never intended for the documentary to be made public. Reports indicate that funds for its production came directly from the Revolutionary Guards as they intended to distribute it en masse throughout the Middle East to incite further uprisings, while calling for the unification of Arabs to overthrow the U.S.-backed governments and promising the destruction of Israel and the imminent coming of the last Islamic messiah, the 12^th Imam.

The revelations in this movie have even caused Grand Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq to show concern as he has long opposed the radicalism coming out of Iran. He openly made this statement: “The analysis for the timing of The Coming of the last Imam is quite concerning. These analyses could weaken the very belief of Muslims. Such activities should not take place in Iran …This is very worrisome.”

All of this caused the makers of the documentary, who call themselves “The Conductors of The Coming” and, as I reported, worked in collaboration with the Iranian president’s office and with the Basij (Iranian paramilitary force), to come out and hold a press conference in which they defended the movie and stated some very interesting facts including that the movie was pre-screened to the supreme leader prior to availability:

At first, they harshly criticized those attacking the movie and responded to a question posed that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei and President Ahmadinejad had seen the movie. They stated:

“We can tell you with utmost assurance that they have seen the movie as it touches on a very important subject and it relates directly to them. The enemy now has zoomed in on this issue. We did show it to the supreme leader and the president for their review ourselves and there was no objection.”

In response to another question the film makers defended the comparison of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to the mythical figure “Seyed Khorasani,” who per Hadith creates the circumstances for the reappearance of Shiites’ 12^th Imam and passes the flag of Islam to the last Imam by noting several points: “One is that on many occasions when others have called him Seyed Khorasani, he has smiled and nodded without refusing the claim. Many have asked him to verify his position and he has chosen silence. Well if it was not true, if it was not in accordance with his own belief, then wouldn’t the Supreme Leader come out and say this is not true and stop this argument?”

The producers of the movie then continued by reaffirming the facts that the Revolutionary Guard Commander Jabari and former Chief Commander of the Guards Yahya Safavi, and even Grand Ayatollah Kazem Haeri and many more prominent figures have called the supreme leader “Seyed Khorasani” in front of him and His Excellency has nodded.

It is important to note that in the video, Grand Ayatollah Khomeni, the founder of the Islamic Republic, is quoted as saying that he had three goals for Iran:

1. Overthrowing the Shah

2. Establishing an Islamic State

3. Creating the situation for the return of the last Imam

Then it goes on to say that the one after him will be the one to pass the flag of Islam to Imam Mahdi for the conquest of the world by Islam. There is also a quote that Khomeni personally told Ayatollah Khamenei that he will be the one to bring about the End of Times and the final glorification of Allah!

While the Iranian leaders are scrambling to stop the damage caused by the publicity over this video, it is important to note that they truly believe it is their mission to destroy Israel and bring about the reappearance of last Shiites’ Imam for the final glorification of Islam.

This morning, reports claim the Iranian regime has filtered the website of “The Conductors of The Coming,” along with the movie and all of the related information.

Also see:

PajamasMedia: Exposure of Movie Predicting Shiite Messiah Causes Turmoil Within Iranian Regime

Posted in Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Basij, Human Rights, Iran Politics, Terrorism | 1 Response »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Basij, End of Times, Fanatics, Human Rights, Imam Mahdi, Iran, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Political prisoners, Quran, Revolutionary Guards, Shiite, Spy

A Reader’s Review: A Time To Betray, by Reza Kahlili

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Here is another review by a reader which I found interesting (please see the review page for all reviews by the media).

Book Review: A Time To Betray, by Reza Kahlili

“I was followed,” I said

CIA agent Steve Clark uncrossed his legs. He leaned forward, his expression stiffening. “Followed?”

I tried not to let my voice reflect my nervousness. “Yes. I thought I might be imagining it, but I took a few diversions and the tail was still there. It took me an hour to lose him.”

Agent Clark leveled his blue eyes at me. “Wally, I want you to be completely aware of the consequences if things go wrong. The United States government will deny any relationship to you. There won’t be a navy fleet coming to your rescue… Do I make myself clear?”

I swallowed hard and said “Yes, I understand.” It was difficult to miss Agent Clark’s message: I was disposable.

Thus begins a captivating true-life tale of danger, intrigue, betrayal, and lost faith in the message of radical Islam. A lone warrior embarks on a life of deception, feigning allegiance to a system he desperately hopes to destroy. As a member of Iran‘s dreaded Sepah-E-Pasdaran, or Revolutionary Guards, he decides to turn his back on the Islamic Revolution he once embraced, and betray his country in order to save it.

Action-packed, suspenseful, and tear-jerking at times, A Time to Betray removes the aura from the life of a spy. It reveals a man, struggling between his sense of duty to his country and his shame for betraying her. Trying to hold his family together and protect them from harm, since his discovery would mean their execution. And desperately hoping that out of the complicated double madness his life has become, some good will eventually come to his country. This book, detailing his years of work for the Central Intelligence Agency, also offers us another glimpse into the minds of those hell-bent on destroying our own way of life today. Five stars!

The Atomic Blog

Posted in Human Rights, Iran, Iran Politics | No Responses »
Tags: Book, Book of the Month, CIA, Democracy, Fanatics, Iran, Islam, Jihad, Khamenei, Political prisoners, Revolutionary Guards, Spy Story, Thriller, True Story

An Open Letter to Congress by An Ex-Cia Spy from Iran

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Dear Members of the 112^th Congress:

Even after four sets of UN sanctions, Iran is still concealing its nuclear program and adamantly refuses to address the issue. Iran’s atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said in comments published just days ago about the upcoming talks in Istanbul starting on January 21st, “We will absolutely not recognize the negotiation if the other side wants to negotiate on the issue of the nuclear dossier.” The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated today that sanctions won’t stop Iran’s nuclear drive, saying, “Let them issue 100,000 resolutions…it’s not important. Let them say what they want to.”

It is time we realize that the Iranian leaders are only looking to buy time until when they are nuclear armed.

For three decades, the West has failed to understand the political structure of Iran and the mindset behind the radicals ruling Iran. That failure has cost hundreds of thousands of lives of innocent Iranians aspiring for freedom and too many lives of American heroes fighting for democracy and freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Every U.S. administration since the onset of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 in Iran tried in vain to negotiate with the Iranian rulers; every one failed.

President Carter and National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, began America’s misguided policy toward radical Islam — Carter by calling Khomeini “a man of God” and Brzezinski with his ill-conceived plan to help Islamic militants confront the Soviet Union.

The policy continued under President Reagan when Oliver North and National Security Adviser Robert McFarlane tried to appease the Iranians. They failed to improve relations and they failed to gain the release of the Americans held hostage in Lebanon in the Iran-Contra affair.

This shortsightedness persisted with President George H.W. Bush, who ignored the Iranian involvement in the Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie (as I had reported to the CIA), in his secret negotiations with Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Iranian president at the time. Rafsanjani pledged better relations but delivered broken promises and lies.

The flawed policy of appeasement kept on as President Clinton (who looked the other way at Iran’s involvement in the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia) failed in his negotiations with Mohammad Khatami, the next Iranian president. Distracting Clinton with more promises of cooperation, the Iranian leaders purchased parts for Iran’s nuclear project.

However, President Obama missed the biggest opportunity yet to bring change in Iran. Millions of Iranians risked their lives protesting in the streets, demanding change and justice but were, once again, betrayed by the West. Instead, of taking the opportunity to support the Iranian people, Obama made repeated overtures to the Iranian leaders, which were ignored. His policies have proven to be a complete failure as Iran continues even more aggressively with its nuclear drive while repeatedly refusing to give in to the UN demands.

All the while the Iranian leaders have pursued their aggressive policies against the West with a focus on increasing their military capability. The Revolutionary Guards have expanded their missile program with the collaboration of North Korea and China. They now have the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, which are capable of targeting all of Israel, every U.S. base in the Middle East and every capital in Western Europe. The Guards are also working on intercontinental ballistic missiles with the help of North Korea under the guise of their space project.

Most alarming is the Iranian nuclear program, which started in the mid-80s with only one goal — to obtain the nuclear bomb. Today Iran is ever closer in achieving that goal. It is just a matter of time before they have the capability to weaponize warheads on their ballistic missiles.

Iran has enough enriched uranium for three nuclear bombs. They are involved in joint research and development on weaponization with North Korea.

The leaders of Iran continue their terrorist activities around the world and their ongoing support of terrorist groups including Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Al Qaeda and others in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Africa. If Iran acquires the nuclear bomb, proliferation will become a nightmare and every terrorist organization in the world could be armed with such weapons of mass destruction.

The idea of changing the behavior of the Iranian leaders is as much a fantasy as believing that watered down sanctions will force them to negotiate.

The failure of our approach is reflected in our misunderstanding the ideology of the radicals ruling Iran. They literally take everything from the Quran, which demands the annihilation of the infidels and Islam’s conquest of the world, with martyrdom celebrated as the greatest achievement under the rule of Allah.

We have to understand that when Iranian leaders call for the destruction of Israel, America and the West, they really mean what they say. Prophecies call for Islam to conquer the world and those prophecies drive the actions of the Iranian leaders. They believe that Allah has empowered them and America will not be able to do anything about it.

We cannot allow history repeat itself. Today we are facing an evil much worse than we did in 1938. Appeasement and vacillation do not work. World peace, global stability and millions of lives are on the line.

America must stop this menace. It needs leaders who value the very principles that make our enemies despise us.

The Iranian leaders pose the gravest danger of 21^st century. Our first priority should be to stop these radicals in their tracks and to help Iranians free themselves from this evil.

The Iranian people are the most Westernized in the region and a new regime in Iran will transform the world: Much of worldwide terrorism will end; Iraq and Afghanistan will become much more stable; Lebanon will become more independent without the influence of Hezbollah; Israel will be more secure and there will finally be hope for peace between Israel and Palestinian leadership. We will witness positive effects throughout Central Asia and Latin America without Iran’s influence, and finally, no more appeasing China and Russia over Iran.

It’s simple. All we need do is support the Iranian people in their aspirations for freedom. Do not appease their leaders. Do not negotiate with them.

I urge Congress to consider the following actions:

Provide support to pursue the Iranian leaders through legal channels for crimes against humanity, for rape, for torturing and murdering Iranian citizens, for genocide against religious minorities, for involvement in international terrorism and for killing American soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Help establish direct channels of communication with the Iranian people to provide information to the masses and to promote freedom

Ask our allies within European Union to cut diplomatic ties to a minimum.

Refuse airspace to Iran Air and ports to ships to and from Iran.

Deport all Iranian agents in Europe who work out of Iranian Consulates, shipping lines, airlines, banks, mosques, Islamic cultural centers. We already know who they are.

The current regime is already showing signs of coming apart. Help widen that crack. Help embolden Iranians to take their country back. They are looking for your support.

We would do well to remember the words of President Reagan to the nation on the night of our bombing of Libya’s terrorist facilities in 1986: “There is no security, no safety, in the appeasement of evil. It must be the core of Western policy that there be no sanctuary for terror. And to sustain such a policy, free men and free nations must unite and work together.”

Posted in Iran Politics | 2 Responses »
Tags: Ahmadinejad, Basij, CIA, Democracy, Fanatics, Freedom, Green Movement, Hezbollah, Iran, Iran Uprising, Iranian nuclear program, Jihad, Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards, Terrorism, UN