EX- CIA Director Woolsey: Iran nuclear pact “worthless” with “theocratic, totalitarian, genocidal imperialists”

Ambassador R. James Woolsey

Chairman of the Board of Directors

    Foundation for Defense of Democracies

It was a fast paced discussion on the August  2, 2015  Lisa Benson Show  on National Security with guest, former CIA director, Ambassador R. James Woolsey.  Ambassador Woolsey is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Washington, DC-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. See his full bio, here. Host Lisa Benson was joined by Michael Weiser, foreign policy analyst and this writer.  

The  discussion addressed  threats  not currently  covered by the media arising from the Iran nuclear pact  announced on July 14th  and unanimously endorsed on the University Security Council on July 22nd. Ambassador Woolsey  called pending  Iran pact  “ a worse than useless agreement “ and deemed  the Iranian Islamic regime , “theocratic, totalitarian, genocidal , imperialists”.    He contends that Iran may be less than a few months away from developing a nuclear weapons b ut less than the year the Administration believes would be delayed by a decade.  When asked about  what options Congress to prevent implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) , he suggested that an informed public has to get behind an effective campaign to get the message across to Congress to  overwhelmingly reject it

 Among the important issues discussed in the Lisa Benson Show with Ambassador Woolsey were:

  • The Electronic Magnetic Pulse threat posed by Iran with a nuclear equipment missile to the US;
  • What  is required to protect the country’s vital electrical grid under the provisions of the  Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2015 (CIPA);
  • The  Administration gutting  Ballistic Missile Defense against an Iranian Missile Attack ;
  • What constitutes a better deal, without a military option; and,
  • How a Flexible Fuel strategy could upend  the OPEC Cartel, especially Russia, Venezuela and Iran.

 The  controversial Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  has been the subject of Hearing with Administration witnesses before both Senate and House  Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees before last Thursday summer recess.  Disquieting information  was revealed in those  regarding secret side deals between the UN Watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and  Iran , lifting of $150 billion in sanctioned funds $150 billion in sanctions relief ,retention of key parts of the nuclear infrastructure, 24 day prior notice inspections of known facilities,  obligations to protect Iranian nuclear facilities against sabotage, and  lifting of conventional arms and ballistic missile sanctions.  One of the disturbing revelations  in Congressional  hearings on the Iran nuclear pact was the lifting of sanctions on 800 persons and institutions in Iran that included Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani  who  is responsible for  more than 500 deaths and hundreds casualties of American Service personnel in the Iraq War from Iranian developed IEDs . 

These and hints of other undisclosed information by the Administration  in those Congressional hearings have caused an estimated majority of Americans in recent polls to urge Senators and Representatives to reject the Iran nuclear deal.  Congress  will make a decision on whether to accept or reject the pact  by  mid-September vote under the threat of a possible veto by President Obama if rejected.  13 undecided Democrat Senators and 30+ Democrat members of the House hold the key  to the outcome. 

Here were some of the points raised by Ambassador Woolsey.

On  the Electronic Magnetic Pulse Threat and Requirements for Protection of the National Grid

Ambassador Woolsey  warned that  Iran or North Korea needs only launch a missile with  a low yield nuclear weapon to generate  sufficient gamma radiation in a low altitude explosion to knock out the critical several hundred strategic transformers and data control network for the national grid. That would paralyze critical industrial, communications, financial and medical networks in this country producing significant  mass casualties.  Given the recent House passage of CIPA he was   asked for how much time might be entailed to harden those key elements, Ambassador Woolsey suggested several months to a year at most. Further he drew attention to  Russia, China, North Korea and Iran  planning to harden their grids against a possible EMP threat, whether natural or manmade.

The Gutting of Ballistic Missile Defense

When asked about the absence of a Missile Defense shield on the vulnerable East and Gulf coast of the US  Ambassador Woolsey  noted the Administration’s decision withdrawing over the horizon radars and interceptors from  allies in NATO, Poland and Czechoslovakia.  He noted the possible capabilities of  North Korea and Iran to launch Fractional Orbital Bombardment Systems,, developed by Russia, in southerly polar  directions  that would make a surprise attack extremely difficult to detect. 

The  lack of a military option to force a better deal

When asked about the Hobson’s choice of conventional versus other means for Israel or the US as an option, Ambassador Woolsey responded, “there are  other approaches, and that we  and the Israelis are not entirely without means”.  However he noted that “the Administration took the threat of possible violence off the table” and “our government willing to use such measures”. That he said has unfortunately “made the Mullahs very happy.”

The Strategic Flex Fuels Weapon the US could Use against the Oil Cartel

While citing Iranians involvement with the drug cartels threatening our borders, he also raised a means of  attacking Iran, Venezuela  and Russia and the rest of the OPEC Cartel.  It has to do with the US energy revolution in producing natural gas from fracking.  Ambassador Woolsey suggested that the Administration might adopt Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency credits for vehicle producers for producing so-called flex fuel powered vehicles, Vehicles powered by Methane produced from the abundance of cheap supplies of natural gas produced by fracking. That might have the effect of driving the price of oil below $40 a barrel.

Listen to this Soundcloud  discussion with Ambassador R. James Woolsey from the August  2, 2015, Lisa Benson Radio Show on National Security.