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Ex-soldier in Iran's Revolutionary Guard writes of life as CIA spy

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Ex-soldier in Iran's Revolutionary Guard writes of life as CIA spy​

From Elise Labott, CNN Senior State Department Producer
July 9, 2010 10:36 p.m. EDT

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Reza Kahlili wore a mask and hat and spoke through a modulator when talking about his work with the CIA.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
-Ex-member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards describes life as a CIA spy
-Newly published book describes disillusionment after 1979 revolution
-Author, whose pen name is Reza Kahlili, says U.S. has long misperceived Iran's regime
-Kahlili says Obama administration is naive, predicts Iran will attack Israel


Washington (CNN) -- The tale contains elements of a spy thriller: a soldier in Iran's feared Revolutionary Guard turns spy for the CIA after concluding that the government that had promised democracy had instead ushered in oppression, violence and death.

But, Reza Kahlili says, this is no novel.

In his new book, "A Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent Inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran," Kahlili offers a firsthand account of how he turned against the Islamic regime that he said has oppressed its people for three decades.

In one of his first public appearances, Kahlili addressed a packed hall Friday at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Flanked by a bodyguard and disguised in a hat, mask and glasses, he spoke through a modulator that led Washington Post columnist David Ignatius to liken his voice to Darth Vader's. Even his name is a pseudonym, all in an effort to protect his family, friends and contacts, he said.

The author said that, after a peaceful childhood in Iran, he came to the United States in the 1970s for college, studying computer science at the University of Southern California, where he enjoyed a carefree life of parties, watching football and listening to Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull.

He returned home after the sudden death of his father to find a country embroiled in change.

Kahlili describes the immediate aftermath of the 1979 revolution against Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi as a special time in Iran. Iranians had been led to believe democracy was theirs, the clergy wouldn't interfere in their lives and the people would have freedom of speech, assembly and political affiliation, he said. Everyone was excited about the direction of the country, he said.

It was then that Khalili's friend told him about an opportunity with the newly formed, elite Revolutionary Guard, which hired him immediately.

Reza said he quickly became disillusioned when he saw people being tortured and murdered and women raped in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Repressing his countrymen, he said, was not what he had signed up for.

But rather than quit the Guard and endanger his family, he contacted the CIA and began work as an American agent under the code name "Wally," he said.

There was no magic watch or pen or fancy car like James Bond, he said, just a pencil and a notebook. He was trained in communications and deciphering codes. Kahlili said his role "was to look and act the part of a devout Muslim enforcing all the new rules laid down by the mullahs."

"A full black beard was a mandatory accessory to the Guard's uniform, and I sported one along with every other member of the Guards. The image of a scowling, black-bearded Guard in uniform mustered fear and garnered respect. Playing the part of a zealot did not come naturally to me, and there were times I had to do things I dreaded: cautioning young girls to cover up, barking at kids for not displaying proper Islamic behavior, taking on the persona of a fanatic. I knew I would have to try to convince myself that doing these things allowed me to maintain my role -- and maintaining my role allowed me to contribute to the downfall of the organization to which I so fervently imitated allegiance."

He said he provided critical information to his CIA handlers about Iran's role in the Iran-Iraq war, the Iran-contra affair, the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut and the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which he said was masterminded by Tehran.

Kahlili described a CIA that knew little about what was going on inside Iran and was complacent about finding out the truth about the regime. He said he warned his case officers in the mid-1980s about the growing danger of the Guard, but said U.S. officials sat idly by, alternating indifference and negotiation with the regime he was working to take down.

This "misconception" of Iran, he said, has plagued America's decisionmaking for three decades.

After a few scares in which he thought his cover was blown, Kahlili left Iran, was granted asylum in the United States and moved to California. He said he no longer works for the CIA, but still provides the agency with information from his contacts in Iran about the regime, its nuclear program, its terrorist activities in the region and its continued oppression of the Iranian people.

He said that, after the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks and the 2005 election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad, he decided to speak out publicly to raise awareness of the brutality of the regime.

He predicted that Iran will eventually attack Israel, Europe and the Gulf and advocated a preemptive military strike against the regime but not against the Iranian people or infrastructure.

Kahlili accused the Obama administration of naivete and betrayal for seeking to engage Iran. Not only does the regime see this as weakness on the part of the United States, he said, but the Iranian people view it as a betrayal of the highest order as they fight for freedom.

"Stop dreaming, please," he said Friday. "You are not dealing with rational people. Every time you extend a hand, it is not seen as sincerity, but stupidity."

The CIA's public affairs office in Washington was not open Friday night and its telephone number would not accept messages; its e-mail account rejected two attempts to send it a message.

Ex-soldier in Iran's Revolutionary Guard writes of life as CIA spy - CNN.com
 
Waiting for an Iranian member to respond....................
 
loool ... they did this with sadam if he retaleated with america they would make him look bad by showing a video of him sexually engaged with a young boy now they got this guy to say this stuff looool! look what can money be paid to do for . iam not say iran dose not have a harsh law but rather it is what the people vote on . so that what they get
 
Spartacus_Σπάρτακο;988363 said:
CIA trained x spy

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Since when was he 'trained' by the CIA? This is typical of the misunderstanding of how the CIA really works as far as foreign agents goes compounded by too much Hollywood movies.
 
shure just like how CIAand MOSSAD worked with a christan iraqi pilot bribed him and toldhim to bring a mig 21 the latest at that time (6 day war)
 
Spartacus_Σπάρτακο;988387 said:
He was trained in communications and deciphering codes.
Which is pretty much the extent of foreign nationals willing to work with US. All too often whenever the CIA is brought up, people invariably think up movies and how the CIA supposedly train people.

Spartacus_Σπάρτακο;988387 said:
Kahlili said his role "......

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: to cover heads nd slap llil boys :rofl::rofl::rofl:
x-cia:rofl:
Yes...That is how an IRG man supposed to behave, not how the CIA trained him. Read...!!!
 
This has "PROPAGANDA" stamped all over it.

When they needed something to invade Iraq, they magically found WMDs. When they needed to invade Afghanistan, they started receiving videos from OBL in Afghanistan. Now they need a reason to invade Iran, they have a living, breathing IRG soldier just busting out to tell everyone how bad the regime in Iran is.

I think the US deserves some kind of award for how much bullsh!t they can come up with.
 
Ex-soldier in Iran's Revolutionary Guard writes of life as CIA spy​

I dont believe he was a guard
Maybe he did lie to the cia or the cia did lie but the words he is using and i already saw articles about him... shows he is not
there are many lies from Iranians themselves. I know many who did lie to get a visa .
What makes me have doubts about him: "the mullahs" this is not this kind of word we hear from them but more from opposition groups outside the country.
But they are guards who spoke and clearly said their names about the last year events. these ones are trustable.
 
it properganda at the most US has its ways but i think it might not work this time
 
Such a thing is entirely possible. But is this guy for real? I don't know. There may be details in the book which would add credibility to the story, but it would take an expert, or someone on the inside, to make that sort of assessment.

It looks to me to be more of a money-making scheme by the author and publisher, rather than some US government-sponsored propaganda bit.

I agree that spy movies have totally destroyed any chance for the average person to understand how the game is played. Everyone thinks of James Bond and secret gadgets, and training areas deep underground, garbage like that. The reality is that spies are normally recruited from an indigenous group, and data and possibly materials are transferred by drops to handlers. There is very little that is exotic about it, but it can be very dangerous.

The fact that he said "his tools are a pencil and paper" add credence to the story. If the whole thing was fake, he probably would have tried to pass off techno-gadgets, laser-listening devices, spy cameras, bugs, trackers, etc.
 
This business model is getting rather too old. In practical terms, all one has is his word alone. I think they should have made more of an effort to make it look credible.
 
Give us a break! The US demonizes everyone against their "interests". If these pricks even cared, Saudi or Syria wouldn't be existing today.
 

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