Recorded 1 Hour Before U.S. Strikes on Iran | Iran Expert and Former CIA Officer Tony DeMario

⚠️ This episode was recorded ONE HOUR before U.S. strikes on Iran (February 27–28). The predications are eerily accurate and insight and context about what comes next is worth the listen. 👉 Subscribe to The Restricted Handling Podcast https://www.restrictedhandling.com/ Get the daily intelligence brief Glenn and Ryan read — covering Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, the Middle East, geopolitics, sanctions, and military operations. The predictions and assessments made here are eerily close to what unfolded overnight. We will follow up with a post-strike assessment episode — but this conversation captures the strategic thinking immediately before the kinetic phase began. In this episode of the Restricted Handling Podcast, Glenn Corn and Ryan Fugit are joined by Tony DeMario, former senior CIA officer with 34 years in the Army and Agency, specializing in Iran, counterterrorism, and Iranian regional proxies. Tony led teams across some of the most sensitive Iran-related missions in recent history. This is not academic analysis. This is pre-strike strategic insight from someone who has lived the problem set. 🎙️ In this episode, we discuss: • Whether Iran's regime is weaker than at any time since 1979 • Why regional partners hesitate to openly support U.S. action • Hezbollah's residual capabilities • Whether strikes would be symbolic — or decapitation-level • Why the IRGC leadership structure matters • What would actually fracture regime cohesion • Russia's strategic interest in prolonging Middle East instability • Whether protests inside Iran change the calculus • Why negotiations may be delay tactics • What it would truly take to end the conflict Tony explains why: • Iran has "never won a war, but never lost a negotiation" • Decapitation without follow-through may not achieve deterrence • Russia benefits from distraction • Sanctions and economic pressure may matter more than strikes • The regime's internal corruption complicates every scenario This episode captures the strategic debate just before events overtook analysis. ⏱ TIMELINE / CHAPTERS 00:00 Recorded One Hour Before U.S. Strikes 03:00 The Carrier Groups & Regional Tensions 08:00 Iran's Internal Power Struggle 14:00 Hezbollah & Proxy Capabilities 20:00 What a "Decapitation Strike" Means 27:00 Regional Allies & Overflight Politics 33:00 Russia's Strategic Angle 38:00 Negotiations: Real or Delay? 45:00 Could the Regime Collapse? 52:00 Final Assessments Before Kinetic Action Glenn Corn is a former CIA Senior Intelligence Service officer and multiple-time Chief of Station. Institute of World Politics – Faculty Profile https://www.iwp.edu/faculty/glenn-corn/ Great South Bay Consulting https://greatsouthbayinc.com/ Subscribe and receive the daily intelligence brief: https://www.restrictedhandling.com/ HOW TO FIND GLENN CORNRESTRICTED HANDLING