Former CIA Officer's Warning Preceded US-Israel Strikes on Iran in Operation Epic Fury
As tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated following the launch of Operation Epic Fury, attention has shifted to a critical warning issued just days before the offensive by former CIA officer John Kiriakou. In a public statement, Kiriakou suggested that a US attack on Iran was imminent, a prediction that proved accurate when the United States and Israel launched major combat operations on February 28, 2026.
Operation Epic Fury: A Costly and Devastating Assault
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel initiated what President Donald Trump described as "major combat operations" targeting Iran's missile and nuclear infrastructure. In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared, "we are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground," emphasizing the objective to "ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon." The strikes, which cost an estimated $700 million in the first 24 hours alone, resulted in widespread damage and significant civilian casualties, including at least 153 people, including children, killed in a school strike in Minab. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was confirmed dead following missile strikes around Tehran.
In retaliation, Iran launched attacks across Israel and Gulf states such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Military and civilian targets, including an American naval base in Bahrain and Dubai International Airport, were struck, leading to airport closures in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha that stranded thousands of travelers.
Kiriakou's Forewarning: A Decision Made in Washington
Six days before the strikes began, on February 22, 2026, Kiriakou appeared on the Julian Dorey Podcast, also known as Trendifier, hosted by American YouTuber and podcaster Julian Dorey. During the episode, Kiriakou revealed that he had received information from a former colleague who visited the White House that morning. "I have a friend, former CIA officer, who was at the White House this morning talking to his friends, and he says that a decision has been made to attack Iran on Monday or Tuesday," he stated, referring to February 23–24, four to five days before Operation Epic Fury was launched.
Kiriakou urged listeners not to take President Trump's public deadlines at face value. At the time, Trump had given Iran a 10-day window to comply with US demands, including ending its ballistic missile program, halting uranium enrichment, and ceasing support for groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. "But he's done this before," Kiriakou noted. "Well, he'll give you 10 days, he'll give you two weeks, and then he'll just attack two days into it. He thinks that that keeps people off balance."
Internal Divisions and Strategic Distractions
In the same interview, Kiriakou highlighted internal divisions within the Trump administration regarding the potential conflict. He described battle lines with anti-war forces including JD Vance and Tulsi Gabbard, while the pro-intervention side was led by Marco Rubio and included Pete Hegseth and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Kiriakou expressed surprise at the Joint Chiefs' reported position, linking it to personnel changes over the past year. "Trump has replaced all of the Joint Chiefs this year, this past, in the past 12 months, which I had forgotten," he said. "He promoted people that he knew would be politically loyal."
Kiriakou also suggested that high-profile announcements, such as the administration's plan to release UFO-related files, could serve as distractions from impending military decisions. "Probably in part, yeah. About them saying they're going to release the UFO files last night, which I've wanted released forever, but the timing," he remarked, implying strategic timing to divert public attention.
Regional Concerns and Military Buildup
Weeks earlier, in a TikTok clip recorded approximately a month before the strikes, Kiriakou discussed regional concerns about President Trump's unpredictability. He described a conversation with someone from an Emirati government who was "genuinely worried" because they "just can't read Donald Trump." Kiriakou recalled a reporter asking Trump about his advisors, to which the president reportedly replied, "I don't have any advisors, I just do whatever my gut tells me to do." This unpredictability, Kiriakou argued, contributed to regional instability, with Iran "scrambling, because they don't know what to expect either."
Separately, the Jerusalem Post, citing a disclosure from The New York Times, reported that hundreds of US personnel had been moved from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, alongside repositioning at American facilities in Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. This military buildup preceded the strikes, indicating preparation for the conflict.
Iran's Military Capabilities and Risks of Escalation
Kiriakou also recounted a conversation with retired colonel Douglas Macgregor about Iran's military capabilities, particularly hypersonic missiles. "The Iranians have hypersonics, the Chinese and the Russians gave them the technology and they developed it internally, domestically," he said. He warned of the potential consequences, stating, "An aircraft carrier is the size of a city, it has 25,000 sailors on it, can you imagine if they sank one of those things? Or even just damaged it to the point it would need to be towed into the port for two years' worth of repairs, I just see nothing good coming from an armed conflict with Iran."
Who is John Kiriakou?
John Kiriakou served in the CIA from 1990 to 2004, visiting 72 countries during his tenure and becoming Chief of Counterterrorist Operations in Pakistan. He later became a whistleblower, publicly revealing the CIA's use of waterboarding. In 2012, he was convicted of passing classified information to the media and sentenced to 30 months in prison. Since his release, he has been a vocal critic of what he describes as Washington's interventionist foreign policy. His comments on February 22 did not specify the precise timing or scope of any operation, but his assertion that a decision had been made to attack Iran within days preceded the launch of Operation Epic Fury by less than a week, underscoring the accuracy of his warning amid escalating global tensions.
