During a speech last July at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, I revealed that Iran was currently in possession of missiles not previously known to the West. In addition, Iran’s collaboration with North Korea and its long term plans -- to reach major European capitals with their missiles -- was also discussed.
Since the early 80s, Iran’s focus has been on missile technology. Their strategy was first drawn up by the Guards’ command and announced by Mohsen Rezaei (the Chief Commander).These facts were reported to the CIA.
At the same time, the Guards made the decision to organize thousands of smaller units along with a massive missile capability for an unconventional war against America and Israel. Why? Because they knew that in any conventional military confrontation, their forces would not stand a chance against America. So the idea was born that a successful missile program would deliver in its goal to bring about the destruction of Israel and the demise of America and the West.
Recent WikiLeaks releases about Iran reveal that American intelligence operatives have concluded that the Iranians have obtained a cache of advanced missiles from North Korea. These missiles can carry nuclear warheads. They now give Iran the capacity to strike the capitals of Western Europe. They can also easily reach Moscow.
The information revealed by WikiLeaks also confirms that there is much deeper military and nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Iran than was previously known.
Iran now holds the largest inventory of missiles in the Middle East (over a thousand).While the Guards continue working on their missile delivery system, they have also been working on a parallel nuclear bomb project in collaboration with North Korea.
Iranian and North Korean scientists have been sharing their expertise and some unverified reports from within Iran talk about the presence of Iranian nuclear scientists in North Korea for a possible nuclear weapons test.
The fact remains that Iran has successfully moved forward with its missile delivery and nuclear program despite all the objections from the West, including four rounds of U.N. sanctions in response to its illegal nuclear program.
There is a grave danger confronting the world. The radicals in Iran are very close to successfully weaponizing their missiles with nuclear warheads and have openly talked about a "New World Order" where Israel ceases to exist and America will no longer be the superpower that it is today.
The Iranian leaders truly believe that Allah has empowered them and America will not be able to do anything about it. They believe that their actions will bring about the reappearance of the last messiah, Imam Mahdi, when Islam will conquer the world and kill the rest of the infidels.
An official website run by the Iranian government goes further and actually predicts that the reappearance [of the last messiah] is close and verifies, through centuries-old hadiths, that Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, is the one who will lead Muslims before the reappearance of Imam Mahdi and that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the deputy to the leader and will take the word of Allah fearlessly to the heart of the non-believers.
While it is shocking that the radicals in Iran, who have been actively involved in worldwide terrorism, could soon have nuclear warheads to fulfill the Islamic prophecy, it is more shocking that every U.S. administration, including the current one, has allowed this regime to continue on with its deadly activities with impunity.
Through the information revealed by WikiLeaks, it is obvious that U.S. diplomats, Arab leaders, and other world leaders see the Iranian leadership as pure evil and one that needs to be stopped.
So the question remains why the Obama administration is acting as though it is helpless, hopeless, and confused. What is it that they don’t understand?
They must surely know that Iran is geographically located in the Persian Gulf, an area that supplies over 40 percent of world’s energy. It is foolish to allow a government in that region access to nuclear arms.-- The world could be taken hostage many times over should they acquire nuclear capabilities.
The Iranian leadership has continuously and openly indicated that they will continue on with their nuclear program and that America and the West cannot do a damn thing about it.
Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Sunday, December 5 that for the first time the country had mined its own uranium and that the shipment of the first domestically produced yellowcake from the Gachin mine was delivered to the Isfahan nuclear facility. He added, "No matter how much effort they put into their sanctions ... our nuclear activities will proceed and they will witness greater achievements in the future."
It has been almost two years since President Obama extended his hand to the Iranian leadership; when that did not work, he moved towards sanctions.
It is time to realize that both actions have been a total failure and that we can no longer remain indecisive.
There is no doubt that the radicals in Iran present the greatest danger of the 21st century.
America needs leadership, courage and commitment to our fundamental principles. It is time to side with and the Iranian people. It is time to help Iranians overthrow this regime. If we do, it will go a long way toward winning a peaceful future for the world. If we don’t, millions of lives could be lost.
Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for an ex-CIA spy who requires anonymity for safety reasons. “A Time to Betray,” his book about his double life as a CIA agent in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was published by Simon & Schuster in April.
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.