WWL Louisiana asked a counter-terrorism expert how military involvement overseas could affect us here at home.
NEW ORLEANS — The unknown still looms, over 24 hours after the United States struck three nuclear sites in Iran.
WWL Louisiana asked a counter-terrorism expert how military involvement overseas could affect us here at home.
Twenty-year Navy veteran, counter-terrorism expert, and Tulane University Professor Michael Wallace says how and where Iran responds will become clear soon.
“Having Iran with nuclear weapons is not a good thing,” Tulane University Professor Michael Wallace said.
“One of my first assignments was looking into Iranian special forces. The next 48 to 72 hours will tell us what Iran wants to do,” Wallace said.
If de-escalation isn’t on the table, Wallace says retaliation could take place overseas or here at home.
If Iran acts on American soil, Wallace explains how their payback could play out.
“Here in the United States, what we have to be worried about are, are there Iranian paramilitary forces here? You know, are there sleeper cells that are ready to, target bridges or target railroads or target bases,” The Veteran said.
He says other possibilities are acts of terror planned not by Iran, but by individuals inspired by Hamas.
“They’re the lone wolves, and they’re the unknown because we don’t know them. They get radicalized online, and unless they start communicating or trying to communicate or trying to get weapons, they stay under the radar of law enforcement, and next thing you know, we have what we had on January 1st, an attack inspired at least by Hamas” Wallace explained.
Wallace says retaliation overseas could take on different forms too.
“They’re going to try to close the Strait of Hormuz, which is where a lot of the world gets its oil from, from the Gulf states. Iran could launch its own attack against US forces. You also have Yemen that could attack us in the Red Sea,” Wallace said.
Many Louisiana lawmakers have spoken out in support of President Trump’s decision, while others have expressed their disapproval. Wallace and all Louisiana lawmakers in Washington agree on one thing, Iran having a nuclear weapon could be catastrophic.
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