The Lawfare Podcast Lawfare Daily: Iran Will Retaliate in the U.S., and We May Not See It in Time
30 snips
Mar 19, 2026 
Troy L.T. Edwards, Lawfare Public Service Fellow and former DOJ attorney specializing in Iran investigations and counterterrorism. He discusses Iran’s long‑memory retaliatory toolkit and proxy network. Short takes cover key DOJ cases that reveal Iran’s reach. They warn how recent institutional degradation may leave the U.S. unprepared for clandestine reprisals.
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Iran's Longstanding Proxy Playbook
- Iran uses a decades‑long proxy strategy to extend reach worldwide and strike inside the U.S..
- Matthew Levitt's interactive map shows bimodal spikes in external operations around 1979–80 and the post‑2020 Soleimani period.
Thompson Case Shows Rapid Human‑Source Exploitation
- Miriam Thompson illustrates how quickly Iran can task human assets inside the U.S. after a strike.
- Within days of the Soleimani killing a Lebanese contact solicited classified human‑asset details from Thompson and she passed national defense information.
Iran Taps Organized Crime As Proxies
- Iran recruits nontraditional proxies including organized crime to carry out killings abroad and in the U.S..
- Najee Zendashti allegedly hired Canadian Hells Angels members to travel to the U.S. to assassinate an Iranian dissident.