Reza Kahlili
Former Iran Revolutionary Guard
Reza Kahlili, author of "A Time to Betray," joins the program to discuss his experiences as a CIA agent embedded within Iran's Revolutionary Guard. He shares insights into the challenges of maintaining his cover and the personal toll it took on his relationships. Kahlili also addresses the geopolitical implications of Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Reza Kahlili
About Reza Kahlili
Reza Kahlili is the pseudonym of a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard who claims to have worked as a CIA agent for approximately fifteen years during the 1980s and 1990s. He authored the 2010 memoir "A Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent Inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran," published by Simon & Schuster. He has advocated for regime change in Iran through op-ed pieces, blog posts, and public speeches.
In this interview
- Discusses the painful necessity of lying to family and friends to protect them.
- Explains his mother was particularly difficult to deceive about his double life.
- Describes Iran's nuclear ambitions as an existential threat to Israel and the world.
- Advocates for regime change in Iran, not just targeting nuclear sites.
“I had to play this role and through most of it I had to lie to them which was really painful.”— Reza Kahlili, in this interview
