Operation Merlin

Summary

Operation Merlin, a CIA plot to sabotage Iran's nuclear program, became one of the agency's most infamous failures. A Russian engineer, codenamed Merlin, was tasked with delivering a flawed nuclear design to Iran, but he grew suspicious of the operation. Despite reassurances, Merlin's fear of Iranian retaliation led him to alter the delivery, ultimately resulting in the Iranians discovering the flaws and possibly accelerating their nuclear efforts. The operation, which began in the late 1990s, ended in 2003, with a leak of the plan's details and the imprisonment of a former CIA officer. The story highlights one of the CIA’s most controversial blunders.

Takeaways

• 😀 Merlin, a Russian nuclear engineer, was recruited by the CIA to sabotage Iran's nuclear program through the Operation Merlin.
• 😀 The operation aimed to provide Iran with flawed nuclear weapon designs to delay their progress on nuclear weapons development.
• 😀 Despite CIA reassurances, Merlin became increasingly worried about his safety and the potential consequences of his actions.
• 😀 Iran's nuclear program had significant backing from countries like China, Pakistan, and Russia, particularly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
• 😀 In the 1990s, Russia collaborated with Iran, helping advance Iran's nuclear and missile technologies.
• 😀 The CIA's Operation Merlin was designed to sell Iran a defective nuclear device to waste their resources trying to fix it.
• 😀 Merlin identified critical flaws in the fake nuclear design, which caused problems for the operation as he was more knowledgeable than expected.
• 😀 In early 2000, Merlin panicked and altered the delivery of the faulty designs, leaving the documents at the Iranian embassy in Vienna.
• 😀 The Iranian government never responded to the faulty designs, and the CIA eventually shut down Operation Merlin in 2003.
• 😀 In 2006, James Risen published a book revealing the operation, which led to a CIA investigation and the identification of Jeffrey Sterling as the source of the leak.
• 😀 The fallout from Operation Merlin likely accelerated Iran’s nuclear program instead of hindering it, as the Iranians may have been able to fix the flawed designs.

Q & A

What was Operation Merlin and why is it considered one of the CIA's biggest failures?

Operation Merlin was a covert CIA plan aimed at sabotaging Iran's nuclear program by providing them with a flawed nuclear component. It is considered one of the CIA's biggest failures because the Iranians were likely able to identify the flaws in the device, and the operation ended up accelerating Iran's nuclear efforts rather than hindering them.

Who was Merlin, and what role did he play in Operation Merlin?

Merlin was a former senior Russian nuclear engineer recruited by the CIA to pose as a scientist attempting to sell defective nuclear plans to Iran. He was meant to trick the Iranian nuclear program into acquiring a faulty component that would prevent them from developing an effective nuclear weapon.

What did Merlin do when he opened the envelope containing the faulty design?

When Merlin opened the envelope containing the faulty design, he added a handwritten note indicating the flaw in the device and suggested he could help identify it. He also decided not to personally deliver the package to the Iranian representative but instead left it in the Iranian embassy's mail slot.

How did the CIA react when Merlin refused to follow the original instructions?

The CIA attempted to reassure Merlin, trying to convince him that the engineers hadn't tampered with the design on purpose. They reassured him that the Iranians wouldn't carry out extensive research and that the operation was still on track despite his concerns.

Why did Merlin become increasingly paranoid during Operation Merlin?

Merlin became paranoid because he believed that Iranian intelligence may have been tracking his emails. He was worried about the potential consequences for his safety, especially after he received error messages suggesting that his emails had been intercepted.

What happened after Merlin delivered the package to the Iranian embassy?

After Merlin delivered the package to the Iranian embassy by leaving it in their mail slot, the Iranian official who was supposed to receive it returned home. However, no response came from the Iranians, and the CIA never received any feedback regarding the delivery, which led to doubts about the success of the operation.

What was the ultimate fate of Operation Merlin?

Operation Merlin was shut down in 2003 after it failed to achieve its objectives. The operation's flaws were exposed, and it did not disrupt Iran's nuclear program as intended. The CIA later investigated the leak of classified information related to the operation.

How did the CIA respond to the publication of James Risen's book 'State of War'?

The CIA responded to the publication of 'State of War' by dismissing it as inaccurate. They claimed that the book contained serious inaccuracies and questioned the reliability of the anonymous sources Risen used. The CIA then launched an investigation to identify the source of the leaks about the operation.

Who was Jeffrey Alexander Sterling, and how was he involved in the Operation Merlin leak?

Jeffrey Alexander Sterling was a former CIA officer who served as the Chief Operations Officer for human assets in the Merlin program. He was charged in 2011 with leaking classified information about the operation to journalist James Risen. Sterling maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and was sentenced to prison in 2015 for mishandling national defense information.

What impact did Operation Merlin have on Iran's nuclear program?

Despite the CIA's intention to sabotage Iran's nuclear program, Operation Merlin may have unintentionally accelerated it. Once the Iranians identified the flaws in the fireset, they were likely able to fix the design and continue developing their nuclear capabilities.