Wasn’t that why they had tortured him? Wasn’t that why Javad had called Firouz and Jamshad using his satphone and spoken so openly about where to pick up their fake passports? They were testing, probing, trying to determine whether anyone was listening in, trying to determine whom and what they could trust.
Had the phones now passed the test? David guessed the answer was yes. That was why Esfahani was pushing him so hard to get the rest of the phones. He suspected, therefore, that call usage was about to soar. He certainly hoped so, but even that wasn’t going to be enough. Langley was relying far too heavily on SIGINT, signals intelligence, and more specifically on COMINT, communications intelligence. No one in the world was better at either than the US intelligence community, as David knew firsthand. But that wasn’t why Zalinsky had recruited him, to bolster the Agency’s already-strong hand. Zalinsky had specifically recruited him to help rebuild the Agency’s weakest link, HUMINT, human intelligence. For the $80 billion they spent a year on spying, the US was doing far too little of it. They weren’t putting nearly enough NOCs fluent in Farsi, Arabic, Urdu, and other Middle Eastern languages into the field to befriend or buy off men who knew the enemy situation. They had him, but David realized he had to aim higher. If he had any shot at truly being useful, he had to be talking to insiders, which led him to one name: Javad Nouri.
It was high risk, and he was not specifically authorized by Zalinsky to make contact with the Twelfth Imam’s right-hand man. But what choice did he have? Javad likely knew more about the enemy’s plans than any single individual, aside from the Mahdi himself. True, David had only met the guy once, when Esfahani had told him to collect the first satellite phones David had smuggled into the country. They had spoken only briefly. But David was desperate. So he pulled up Javad’s number — not the satphone number, but his mobile — and dialed.
“I’m not here right now, or I’m on the other line. Please leave me your name, number, and a brief message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
The recording didn’t give a name, but the voice was unmistakable.
“Javad, hey, this is Reza. Sorry to bother you, but I couldn’t get in touch with our mutual friends, so I thought I’d just call you directly. By tomorrow, I should have most of the gifts you guys requested. Still trying to get the rest but thought I should get you these right away. Please call me and let me know how best to get them to you. Thanks.”
David gave his own number and hung up. “Three strikes and you’re out,” he sighed as he passed another military convoy on the road to Qom.
42
The president was headed to the Situation Room.
Surrounded by a phalanx of Secret Service agents, he left the Oval Office and walked directly to the five-thousand-square-foot complex of conference rooms, private offices, the “watch room,” and the “surge room,” on the lower floor of the West Wing, that was collectively referred to throughout the White House as the Sit Room. There, Jackson was met by the vice president and the rest of the National Security Council, who stood as he entered.
“Be seated,” Jackson said as he took his own seat at the head of the mahogany table and quickly scanned the six flat-screen televisions lining the walls, two of which now provided real-time video feeds from a Predator drone monitoring the Iranian naval flotilla in the Med, while three provided live feeds from US spy satellites monitoring Iranian nuclear facilities in Hamadan, Natanz, and Esfahān. CIA director Allen was on the sixth screen, in a secure videoconference mode from the US Embassy in Amman.
“What have you got, Roger?”
“Mr. President, things are worsening at a fairly rapid clip over here,” Allen began. “Have you had a chance to read the memo I just sent over to the NSC?”
Jackson hadn’t, and he took a moment to scan the document.
>>TOP SECRET — EYES ONLY<<
TO: President, Vice President
CC: National Security Council
FROM: Roger Allen, Director, Central Intelligence Agency
RE: Warning of Possible Imminent Attack on Israel
New reporting indicates possible imminent attack on the State of Israel by forces under the command and control of the Twelfth Imam (TTI).
Credible intel puts two (2) nuclear warheads on Iranian naval vessels in the Mediterranean, both operational, both attached to high-speed ballistic missiles aimed at Israel, and both reportedly to be fired before Tuesday next.
We are sending a UAV with an externally mounted high-resolution scintillation detector to scan the naval flotilla. This will allow us to determine if high-energy gamma radiation is emanating from any of the ships. We should have results by late Thursday.
In the meantime, the Agency assesses the likelihood of two (2) warheads being on board, operational, and attached to high-speed ballistic missiles aimed at the State of Israel at 80 to 85 percent.
Six (6) additional nuclear warheads also believed to be operational. Locations currently unknown. Aggressive efforts to pinpoint them under way.
Other signs of probable imminent attack on Israeclass="underline"
TTI canceled his trip to Jordan.
TTI making emergency return trip to Iran.
TTI told Iran’s minister of defense to “make sure everything is in place and ready — everything — when I arrive.”
We are now seeing increased activity on Iranian air bases.
We are now seeing increased activity on Iranian missile bases.
TTI has enlisted Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia into Caliphate, effectively surrounding Israel.
Agency assesses that TTI now has means, motive, and opportunity to launch attack on Israel.
At this time, Agency assesses TTI has motive but not means or opportunity to hit the US homeland directly. Nevertheless, we recommend US move to DEFCON 3 and immediately put additional radiological sensors at border crossings, shipyards, and airports.
Finally, Agency assesses a growing Pearl Harbor threat to US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and Central Command personnel and facilities in Bahrain. Should TTI choose to close the Strait of Hormuz and shut down oil shipments to the West, he has several options.
TTI could order a surprise attack against our ships and forces in Bahrain.
TTI could incite the Shia majority (almost 70 percent) to overthrow the Sunni ruling family — so far the king is sticking with us, but violent protests have rocked the capital in the last week and calls for the kingdom to join the Caliphate are rising.
At present, the Agency believes Israel is the main target for TTI and his allies, and TTI will not want to draw the US into a direct conflict unless or until Israel is destroyed or effectively neutralized. Nevertheless, we recommend putting all US naval forces in the region at FPCON CHARLIE.
The president turned his attention first to Jordan. “Does the king concur with this assessment?” he asked Allen.
“I didn’t discuss this specific intelligence with him, Mr. President, or this specific memo,” Allen replied. “You all are the first to get this. But there’s no question the king is convinced war is imminent, and he is terrified, frankly, of Jordanians being killed in the cross fire of a missile war between Iran and Israel. He’s making an emergency request for Patriot missile batteries to be deployed on Jordanian soil. He’s asking that US fighter jets hold an immediate joint exercise with the Royal Jordanian Air Force. And he is asking that you make an immediate visit to Amman this weekend as a show of American commitment to him and the survival of his regime.”