Ex-CIA Iran Ops Hand Cautions on Any “Peace Deal”
Even weakened, Tehran will reject any Trump effort to “boss” it around, says former CIA spy recruiter Mark Fowler
Few Americans have had more experience dealing with Iranians than Mark Alan Fowler. A CIA case officer for more than 20 years, Fowler was for part of that time deputy chief of the agency’s Iran task force, working out of a satellite station in Germany, charged with getting Iranian scientists, businessmen, security agents and officials to turn coat and spy for the Americans.
HIs success was intermittent, but the lessons Fowler took away from the experience were clear and unmistakable: When talking to the Iranians, be direct, be specific and above all, be patient.
“For Iranians, signing a contract is seen merely as a starting point to continue negotiating,” Fowler, who’s gone on to work as a private consultant on Iran matters, wrote in an Op-ed piece this week for The Washington Post, quoting a Middle East businessman who understands the terrain.
Fowler’s insights suggest a note of caution amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent days that has sustained a bombing pause, led to a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and, Friday morning, a re-opening of sorts of the Strait of Hormuz. (Iran says it’s open; Trump says his blockade will continue until terms of a peace deal are met.) How long these moves will hold remains far from clear.
