Iranian turned CIA operative honored

WASHINGTON – Former Iranian Revolutionary Guard member-turned-CIA spy Reza Kahlili, who has pulled back the curtain on some of the innermost secrets of the Islamic regime, has been honored by the Endowment for Middle East Truth at its "Rays of Light in Darkness" dinner.

Kahlili, a WND author who exposed Iran's secret nuclear site named Quds (Jerusalem), consisting of three facilities with over 380 missile depots, showed the rogue regime was working on biological weapons and documented a missile base where the weapons armed with microbial warheads were located, uses a pseudonym to protect his identity.

He worked for years for the CIA, gathering intelligence on Iran's terrorist activities and in recent years has been writing for WND.

The seventh annual Rays of Light in the Darkness dinner held by the The Endowment for Middle East Truth also featured Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.

Kahlili appeared through Skype to accept his "Speaker of the Truth" award, donning a surgical mask, baseball cap and glasses to mask his identity. A device was used to disguise his voice as he addressed the audience.

Kahlili, who wrote the best-selling "A Time To Betray," told his story of how he came to join the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and, later, why he chose to turn against it.

"I decided to write the book to let the world know who the Iranians are, and how dangerous the radicals ruling them can be, not only to the Iranians, but to the world," Kahlili explained chillingly.

Born to an upper-middle-class Iranian family, Reza experienced a pre-revolutionary Iran that was much different from the nation today. He spent several years in America studying, before returning home to a country he barely recognized.

He recalled his decision to join the Revolutionary Guards under Ayatollah Khomenei after being told he could help bring about a free and more prosperous Iran.

Become a part of the investigative reporting team uncovering the truths about Iran, and get author Reza Kahlili's "A Time to Betray" about his life as a double agent inside Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

However, Kahlili quickly discovered he was serving a tyrannical ayatollah whose vision for Iran was vastly different than his.

After witnessing atrocities at Evin Prison, he made the decision to return to America, becoming a spy for the CIA. He was given the code name "Wally" and told that if he were caught, he was considered expendable.

While working as a spy in Iran, Kahili was at risk of torture and death every day if caught. He eventually left Iran to continue his spying activities in Europe before he and his family ultimately moved to America.

"My stay in Europe marked the second phase of my work. I infiltrated the Islamic community and the guards and their activity. In Europe, I witnessed the guards activity in recruitment, exchanging cash and explosives. They used the mosques as one of their centers for activities," Kahlili said.

Perhaps the most crucial intelligence that Kahlili helped bring to light was Iran's continued pursuit of enriched uranium for military use. Kahlili activated sources within Iran shortly after 9/11 and continued to provide intelligence to the CIA.

Kahlili closed out his acceptance speech with a warning to Americans in the audience. He expressed the importance of understanding the ideology of Iran's leaders and its implications for the rest of the world.

"Its doctrine knows no boundaries and stands in diametric opposition to the most basic principles taken on by Western civilization," he said. "We must take these threats seriously and we need to act and stop Iran from acquiring the nuclear bomb. Not only for the vital national security interest to us, but the world's stability lies on it.

"If we once again remain silent in the face of evil, the world will witness another holocaust that will be much greater," he warned. "Millions will die and millions of others will suffer unimaginable horrors."

He continued, "It is time we confront this and help the Iranians liberate themselves."

EMET is a think tank and policy shop in Washington that works to preserve and defend the national security of the United States and its ally Israel in their joint struggle "against the force of radical Islam."

"EMET emphasizes Israel's unique role as the eastern outpost of Western democratic values, holding down the fort against a rising tide of radical Islam," the organization explains.

Sarah Stern, a chief for EMET, said people such as Kahlili "should be awarded, praised and feted for their unparalleled courage."

"They have managed to penetrate down through the layers and layers of societal bias and hatred, and reached down to what makes us all human," Stern said.

"I do not know, if I were in their place, if I would be as courageous. They are among the very best specimens that humanity has to offer," she said.

In a profile in the Los Angeles Times, Peter Vincent Pry, a former CIA military analyst who directs the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, said there's "probably nobody better on our side in explaining the mind-set of those in power in Iran" than Kahlili.

"He understands the ideological sources of Iran's nuclear program," Pry said.

In the same report, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Kahlili had convinced him of the importance of supporting the opposition and hardening sanctions against Iran.

"I thought I knew a lot about Iran until meeting with him," King said on a New York political radio program.

EMET said its honors go to "righteous Muslims, Persians and Arabs who have bravely spoken out against radical Islam, and its hatred of Jews and Israel."

"We, at EMET are proud that we are the first Jewish, pro-Israel organization, who has taken it upon itself to say thank you to those incredibly courageous Muslims, former Muslims, Persians or Arabs who have risked everything, including exclusion from their family and friends, exclusion from their community, and even their very lives, to speak the truth about the Islamist assault on Western civilization as we know it," Stern said.

"And we are proud tonight to honor those, who have dared to think outside of the box; who dare to stand with Israel, who dare to stand for the cause of human freedom and to stand against the mounting forces of radical Islam. We are proud to have with us today such heroes such in the struggle as Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett and Mrs Annette Lantos, who will accept the Award in memory of the late Rep. Tom Lantos; Rep. Jeff Duncan; Senator Ted Cruz; Brett Stephens of the Wall Street Journal and courageous author and speaker of the truth: Reza Kahlili."

Watch Kahlili: