RICHMOND, Va. — A former CIA operations officer says he is not surprised by the U.S. airstrikes against Iran, pointing to Iran's uranium enrichment progress as a key warning sign — but he says the threat is far from over.
Joseph Assad, a former CIA operations officer who spent much of his career in the Middle East working in counterterrorism, said Iran's nuclear ambitions made some form of military action increasingly likely.
"The most telling that something was going to come is when we started hearing about how close Iran is to enrichment of their uranium," Assad said. "They bragged during these negotiations that they were at a 60% enrichment levels of their uranium. Nuclear experts will tell you that that meant that they're about 10 days to about two weeks away from being able to enrich up to 90%, which is required to make a nuclear bomb."
Assad said the decision to strike was not reached lightly, describing the layers of intelligence that go into such a call.
"You have something called HUMINT, that's human intelligence, and that is collected by sending people to the field and having sources in these locations," Assad said. "We would intercept a phone call, for example, or people meeting somewhere, and we happen to pick up the contents of that meeting. So you put these two together."
Despite the strikes, Assad said Iran's capacity to retaliate is significant and should not be underestimated.
"They have terrorist arms in Lebanon, in Iraq, in Yemen, and they have sleeper cells. They have, you know, agents all over the world," Assad said. "They will not go down without a fight. This is a regime that has killed and maimed thousands."
Assad said the public should remain vigilant without panicking. He offered practical advice for staying aware in public spaces.
"When you go to an event, make sure you know where the exits are," Assad said. "Always know your surroundings and have a plan."
He also urged people to think critically about the information they consume, particularly online.
"Be a critical thinker. When you hear things in the news, when you read stuff mostly online, and some of the social media. Ask questions, research, don't just believe, you know, a blurb here or there, or a sound bite," Assad said.
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