A threat already embedded within the United States could cause catastrophic damage to millions of Americans, a former FBI official has warned.
Chris Swecker, a 24-year bureau veteran, said Iran-backed Hezbollah cells operating inside the country have the ability to carry out terrorist attacks on US soil.
His warning came after federal prosecutors in New York announced terrorism charges against three alleged Iran-backed operatives. The case includes an alleged plot to bomb a Manhattan synagogue.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also relocated to a US military base following threats from Iran against his life, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the move.
President Donald Trump has convened urgent meetings with his national security team to determine whether the United States will resume its bombing campaign against Iran as peace negotiations continue to stall.
Swecker cautioned that a US nuclear strike could provoke retaliation against American nuclear power plants and other critical energy infrastructure.
‘I think the most realistic retaliation is that the many Hezbollah cells already here in the United States would take matters into their own hands.
‘They have that capability, and they can carry out terrorist attacks here,’ he told the Daily Mail.
Swecker said Americans should be prepared for possible retaliation if Washington orders what would be the first wartime nuclear strike since 1945.
The former FBI official, who has 45 years of law enforcement experience, also raised the possibility of state-sponsored cyberattacks against the US financial system, as well as attacks capable of triggering blackouts across major cities or entire regions.
Iranian state television has begun airing alert messages warning of the possibility of a nuclear strike against the country
Chris Swecker spent 24 years with the FBI. The counterintelligence expert warned that Iran-backed terror cells in the US could retaliate if a nuclear bomb struck Iran
‘We face a cyber threat and a physical threat. If the financial system were compromised or shut down, it wouldn’t require a nuclear missile; cyber means could accomplish it,’ Swecker said.
‘Or they could cut an undersea cable. We’d be sent back to the Stone Age for a while.’
Swecker’s assessment of the potential for a global crisis followed urgent warnings from the Pentagon, former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and several European countries, all of which urged the public to prepare for a worst-case scenario.
He told the Daily Mail that North Korea, Russia and China—all allies of Iran—possess nuclear capabilities believed to be capable of reaching US territory.
However, the former assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division said those countries were unlikely to directly defend Iran with weapons of mass destruction.
‘I think the greatest danger is terrorism—the threat to US targets overseas that are more accessible—because I believe the president has put [Iran] in a position where its capabilities are limited.’
The threat of state-sponsored cyberterrorism became more tangible on October 31, when the FBI confirmed that North Korea had successfully stolen $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency exchange Binance.
‘You could take out the power grid or financial system in one city and send it back to the Stone Age. That would create enormous panic in this country,’ Swecker said.
‘It would have an economic ripple effect because, in my view, many people in the United States do not believe this kind of attack can actually happen.’
Swecker also warned that Americans living or traveling abroad could become immediate targets after any US nuclear strike on Iran.
‘Iran cannot currently reach the US mainland with nuclear weapons, unless we are seriously mistaken about its capabilities. But I do not believe it has the ability to strike US soil with a missile,’ he added.
Former FBI agent Chris Swecker warned that the US power grid and nuclear energy facilities could become primary targets after a nuclear strike (File Image)
Fears of nuclear escalation have reached an apocalyptic point over the past month, after President Trump reportedly began reconsidering his opposition to using nuclear weapons in the conflict with Iran.
John Kiriakou, who worked for the CIA from 1990 to 2004, claimed Trump was now looking to break the longstanding taboo against nuclear weapons.
‘I’ve heard the same thing from my own contacts at the White House: the president is considering using a tactical nuclear weapon against Pickaxe Mountain so it can penetrate deep enough to destroy everything underground,’ Kiriakou told Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Iran has openly discussed plans to construct centrifuges for nuclear enrichment at Pickaxe Mountain, known to Iranians as Mount Kalang.
The site is also believed to be large enough to contain an entire enrichment facility, prompting Trump to say the United States would not permit Iran to produce weapons-grade uranium for nuclear bombs.
Tucker Carlson, the podcast host and former Fox News personality, claimed on November 2 that a US nuclear strike could be only ‘days away.’
Swecker told the Daily Mail that the case for attacking Iran had largely centered on what he described as its ‘fanatical’ government’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
‘We cannot rule out the possibility that someone pushes the button,’ Swecker warned.
‘That is one reason we could not allow Iran to acquire full nuclear capabilities. They are not responsible, they are religious fanatics, and their objective is essentially to subjugate and eliminate Western civilization.’
Pickaxe Mountain is among the sites the US could target if it resumes military action against Iran
President Trump has reportedly considered using nuclear weapons within ‘days’ as the US focuses on a key nuclear research site in Iran’s Isfahan Province
Iranian state media began broadcasting public warnings around October 26, advising citizens that populated areas could be hit by nuclear weapons or exposed to deadly radiation from nearby fallout zones.
One Iranian video specifically warned: ‘If the US strikes Mount Kalang near the Natanz facility with a nuclear bomb, surrounding areas could also be endangered.’
Officials in Isfahan province, where Pickaxe Mountain is located, released the preparedness videos and safety guidance.
The clips, which lasted between two and eight minutes, outlined how people should respond to a nuclear explosion or radioactive contamination. They included images depicting both the US and Iran under nuclear attack.
The advice urged people to take shelter in a basement or a central room away from windows, shut doors and windows, and switch off ventilation systems that draw air from outside.
Iranians were advised to remain indoors for at least 24 hours after a possible nuclear strike.
The videos also warned people not to look directly at an explosion’s bright flash and advised them to remove clothing worn outside during the blast to reduce exposure to radioactive dust.
Swecker described the videos as effective Iranian government ‘propaganda,’ arguing that the regime was trying to frighten its own population while presenting the West as an aggressive and predatory enemy.
‘This is simply part of how they control and manipulate their population. They want to instill fear,’ Swecker said.
Still, the veteran agent said he was relieved that Iran’s leadership appeared concerned about the possibility of a nuclear war. He argued that the United States’ reputation and Iran’s fear of American power had prevented the country from becoming a more formidable global threat.
Swecker said that if pressure on Iran eased, the country could rapidly rebuild its capabilities with Russia and China quietly providing intelligence, funding and weapons.