In a wide-ranging interview, former CIA official and longtime U.S. policy adviser Ambassador Brad Gordon offered an insider’s view into Iran’s nuclear ambitions—and why Israel’s recent operation was not only strategic, but necessary.
Gordon, who headed the CIA’s Iran desk right after the 1979 revolution, described Iran’s regime as one that clings to power through brute force and deception, propped up by a shrinking core of loyalists and the muscle of the Revolutionary Guard. “Eighty percent of the country despises the regime,” he said. “But that remaining 20% controls all the weapons.”
He detailed how Iran’s nuclear program has advanced despite years of sanctions and sabotage, including precision Israeli strikes. According to Gordon, Iran’s enrichment of uranium to 60% puts it dangerously close to weapons-grade levels. “It’s not a linear progression,” he explained. “Once you’re at 60%, 90% is just a hop, skip, and a jump away.”
Gordon praised Israel’s recent intelligence feats as “astonishing,” saying they’ve decimated key nuclear sites and assassinated scientists with precision. But he cautioned that Israel alone lacks the capacity to destroy deep-buried facilities like Fordow, a site likely needing U.S. bunker busters.
Asked why Iran continues to pursue multiple nuclear bombs, Gordon was blunt: “Because one bomb makes you a threat. But 30 makes you a power.”
Gordon believes Israel had no alternative but to act. “They’re close to 90% enriched uranium. We know they have some of the components needed to weaponize it. For the parts we don’t know about—I’m not willing to wait.”
For Gordon, the long-term solution remains regime change. “Only then,” he said, “can Iran realize its true potential—a stable, peaceful, and powerful nation.”
Until then, Israel and its allies will continue mowing the lawn.
