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).
KAHLILI: Iran already has nuclear weapons - Western intelligence has known it for years (Washington Times)
The pressure the United States and the West is bringing to bear on Iran to 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 Russian Gen. Victor Samoilov, who handled the disarmament issues for the general staff. He admitted that the three were missing from Kazakhstan.
Continue reading the article here, hat tip Tulisan Murtad)
Iran is not the only one that possesses ex-Soviet nukes.
Posted by: R.J. Godlewski | February 19, 2012 at 12:52 PM
If Iran actually had a working nuke it would have:
1. Tested it.
2. Used it.
It has done neither.
Posted by: Mystical Time Traveler | February 19, 2012 at 01:25 PM
MTT,
It depends upon how many it has and how many we know they have. One weapon is serious, but can only be used in the case of extreme targeting.
Also, go back and check the timeline between North Korea and Iran...
Posted by: R.J. Godlewski | February 19, 2012 at 04:16 PM
GOOD NEWS
Posted by: DemocratsAbroad | February 19, 2012 at 04:32 PM
That was my first thought. I generally respect what Kahlili has to say, but I'm not sure about this one. The truth is we don't know nearly enough about Iran's nuclear program.
They may still not have an accurate delivery system, Time will tell
I know there has been cooperation between North Korea and Iran, also Russia, who know what else
Posted by: Debbie | February 19, 2012 at 05:00 PM
Debbie,
Russia still has many "suitcase" nukes unaccounted for and, worse, the U.S. still does not have an appropriate radiological background survey for America. In other words, we have no way of knowing what radiological sources are moving through our communities...
Posted by: R.J. Godlewski | February 19, 2012 at 10:46 PM
DemocratsAbroad <----- IDIOT.
Posted by: PALADIN | February 19, 2012 at 10:48 PM
It is quite possible they do, although i'm of the opinion they would have blown one by now to show the world and try intimidate Israel. Is it possible? Yes it very well could be.
Posted by: PALADIN | February 19, 2012 at 10:50 PM
PALADIN <--- resorts to name calling when can't provide REAL ,(non godbot) justification of something.
Just because the mentally ill cult leader Jesus of Nazereth, was Jew , does not mean the subsequent state of Israel deserves 'special privilege'
Granted the holocaust was one of humanity's worst attrocities , but that doesn't mean its descendents need to behave like a bullied person now being the bully.
Israel should exist , but it acts way beyond its size.
The Palestinians have a friend in Iran , and I for one would rather a mushroom cloud does not appear of Tel Aviv, for the subsequent consequences for world peace , not 6 million modern day 'chippy' Jews , who the world would on balance be a better place without.
Posted by: DemocratsAbroad | February 19, 2012 at 11:05 PM
PALADIN : 'If we get another 4 years of his "change" this American Republic as we know it will cease to exist' (from typepad bio)
Well make the most of the next few months of a relatively 'benign' Obama, when the second term happens which it will be, 'you ain't seen nothing yet'.
The USA will have such progressive , liberal , policies enacted , I might just have a 'few months off' and come back here in mid - November to listen with glee to all the conservative Christian wailing and gnashing of teeth. hahaha !
And no us Dem supporters aren't self - loathing as you suggest in your bio , if we loath or more accurately pity anyone it's people such as the vast majority of righttruthites.
Have a nice day.
Posted by: DemocratsAbroad | February 19, 2012 at 11:17 PM
If you are open minded enough, you will find plenty of evidence of the pernicious affect of the jewry on the world on my website -
http://www.davidicke.com/headlines
Posted by: David Icke | February 19, 2012 at 11:43 PM
@DemocratsAbroad CLASS ONE , GRADE A OXYGEN THIEF. Have a nice day :)
Posted by: PALADIN | February 20, 2012 at 12:13 AM
David Icke <----- IDIOT No#2 (could be DemocratsAbroad ....or maybe his brother ? ) :)
Posted by: PALADIN | February 20, 2012 at 12:16 AM
From a gun and god fuckwit like you PALADIN that counts as a compliment.
Posted by: DemocratsAbroad | February 20, 2012 at 01:05 AM
DemocratsAbroad <-----IDIOT. :)
Posted by: PALADIN | February 20, 2012 at 01:47 AM
Canadians, dual nationality or otherwise , are usually far more rational than US wingnuts , but here we have PALADIN, proving that there's an exception to every rule.
Pity abortion wasn't legal when you were a clump of cells , we might have been spared your unjustified oxygen consumption.
Have a nice day with your silly guns and even dumber bible.
Four more years of our dear leader is going to be so much fun, seeing you lot weep.`
Posted by: DemocratsAbroad | February 20, 2012 at 02:02 AM
I doubt very much that Iran has a nuke, perhaps they only have one, which would explain why they haven't used it.
Mind you knowing these morons, they might actually be stupid enough to use it even if they only had one. It'll be a quick end to the persians if they did though.
Posted by: Right Wing Theocrat | February 20, 2012 at 04:07 AM
Israel's demise is long overdue.
Recently sent EURO 2000 to PLO. Not uncommon act of generosity in my liberal democracy.
Posted by: Dawn | February 20, 2012 at 04:57 AM
Dawn <---- IDIOT No# 3 ! :)
Posted by: PALADIN | February 20, 2012 at 01:09 PM
israel should not attack iran
Posted by: nayeem | March 17, 2012 at 03:46 AM
Riza Khalili is a former cia agent: a traitor to Iranian nation. If you believe a cia agent might as well believe in fairy tales. Typical trash coming out of a former "asset"...
Posted by: June | May 24, 2012 at 01:43 PM