In a report that pulls no punches, published in the Christian Science Monitor, a former spy for the CIA tells us that the West cannot ignore Iran any longer, and just hope for the best.
Today the West must make one of the most important decisions of our era. Will we defend what remains of democracy and freedom in Iran, or will we succumb to Tehran’s murderous government?
It’s a question that goes to the heart of our own security. Iran is a thugocracy of Islamic mullahs, and it will soon have nuclear arms. Any misconception about the intentions of fanatics with nuclear bombs will have grave consequences.
I know because I spent years alongside them as a CIA spy working under cover in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards starting in the 1980s.
The Guards Corps was set up as a check on the regular Army and to serve and secure the Islamic revolution. Thirty years of Western appeasement hasn’t stopped them from terrorizing the West, or Iranians. Today, with Tehran’s leaders caught in a power struggle over the June 12 election and the legitimacy of the regime, the Guards, led by zealots, are calling the shots.
The Guards, and the hardliner clerics they protect, are vulnerable, however. This summer’s grass-roots uprising has put them on the defensive. A strong Western hand now could tip the balance.
We don’t have a moment to lose. If we can’t upend the Guards now, how can we do so once they have nuclear bombs?
The story he tells is not flattering to Europe or the US in past dealings with the mullahs. It lays bare the selfish acquiesence the West has sometimes practiced regarding Iran, and says the bill is coming due now. It’s a very powerful piece, and I hope you read it all.
