Ex-FBI Agent Urges Trump to Warn Iran over World Cup Sleeper Cell Threat

A former FBI agent is calling on President Trump to issue a strong warning to Iran before the World Cup, citing the risk from the country's sleeper cells at the global event.

The FIFA World Cup begins June 11 and runs through July 19. The United States will host 78 matches, with Mexico and Canada hosting the rest. Former Navy SEAL and FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam urged Trump to tell Iran to stay away or face consequences.

"I would hope that the president makes it known before this occurs, that if Iran does anything during these World Cup events, that it's going to be not just a retaliatory strike, but that would be the end of any talks and that he will lay waste to everything and anything that is the Iranian regime if that occurs," Gilliam said.

Gilliam proposed a specific way for Trump to demonstrate resolve. "I think if the president did that, and he showed that he was very serious, gave some sign, dropped a MOAB in the middle of nowhere in Iran and said, 'this is what's going to occur if you touch anyone in the United States.' ... This is what's coming to you," he said. "A MOAB, that's the largest non-nuclear conventional bomb in the world in history. And you can drop that somewhere and make a dramatic impact if the president was to show force like Iran does."

"They play diplomat, but they understand force, and so I would recommend that the president examine possibilities like that and that he makes it known that 'you do anything here, then that's it,'" he added.

Gilliam said sleeper cells already exist in the United States. The issue is whether Iran activates them for an attack during the World Cup. "The probability may vary, so the numbers game, is it 100% guaranteed, is it 50% guaranteed? That's always a game that you really don't want to play," he said. "All of these things are going to play into the fact that sleeper cells have always been, for any of these events in the United States and around the world, have always been a possibility."

The warning comes as U.S.-Iran negotiations falter. Trump called Iran's response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!"

Trump addressed the Iranian sleeper cell issue in early March. He blamed former President Biden's open border policy. "I have been (briefed), and a lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border," Trump told Fox News' Peter Doocy. "But we know where most of them are. We've got our eye on all of them."

Congress passed and Trump signed $625 million for World Cup security, directed to law enforcement for overtime. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has spent nearly $900 million on the effort, per an agency news release.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.