A former CIA analyst with top-secret clearance will spend more than three years behind bars after leaking classified information about Israel’s planned strike on Iran. Asif William Rahman, who betrayed America’s trust and jeopardized a key ally’s military operations, was sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to willfully transmitting national defense information.
CIA Traitor Compromised Israeli Military Operations
Rahman, a 34-year-old Yale University graduate who joined the CIA in 2016, admitted to accessing and leaking top-secret documents detailing Israel’s preparations for a retaliatory strike against Iran in October 2024. The classified intelligence, which included satellite images from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency showing Israeli military movements and aviation exercises, quickly spread across social media platforms like Telegram, forcing Israeli officials to delay their planned operation.
Working from the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, Rahman printed two top-secret documents on October 17, 2024, and transmitted them to unauthorized recipients. His betrayal came at a particularly sensitive time, as Iran had launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel just weeks earlier on October 1 in retaliation for the killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah figures.
Deep State Operative Attempted Cover-Up
After leaking the documents, Rahman attempted to hide his treachery by deleting work products, destroying electronic devices, and shredding original documents. His efforts to cover his tracks failed, and the FBI arrested him in Cambodia on November 12, 2024, where he has remained in custody while awaiting sentencing.
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She Was Working on Exposing CIA -Asif William Rahman (born 18 September 1990), a CIA analyst with top-secret clearance, was indicted on 7 November 2024. Rahman, Yale University graduate… pic.twitter.com/3R6Z8yeEVv— MJK (@MJK10797588) March 25, 2025
Rahman faced up to 20 years in prison but received a significantly lighter sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information. In court, he cited “family-related grief” and trauma from his assignment in Iraq as factors contributing to his decision to betray his country and compromise the security of America’s closest Middle East ally.
Justice Department Issues Warning to Other Potential Leakers
Department of Justice officials emphasized that Rahman’s case should serve as a deterrent to others who might consider leaking classified information. “For months, this defendant betrayed the American people and the oaths he took upon entering his office by leaking some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
“By stealing and divulging classified information and then attempting to conceal his crimes, Asif Rahman not only violated the law; he also betrayed his oath as a government employee and his responsibility to the American people,” stated Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division.
INBOX: CIA Analyst Asif Rahman Sentenced to Over Three Years in Prison for Unlawfully Transmitting Top Secret National Defense Info About Israel pic.twitter.com/OrHHhpC2dO
— Adam Kredo (@Kredo0) June 11, 2025
The leak had serious consequences for U.S. intelligence integrity and foreign relations, particularly with Israel, which ultimately conducted strikes on military targets in Iran in late October after being forced to delay its original plans. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, called the case “a testament to the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors” and “a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation.”
Sources:
CIA Analyst With Top Secret Clearance Gets 3-Year Sentence – Newsweek
Ex-CIA analyst sentenced to over 3 years for leak of classified information | Reuters