“Nick Rasmussen, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an NBC News contributor, said Iran’s overseas capabilities can be viewed as three concentric circles.
“In its immediate neighborhood, Iran could put together a response almost immediately, such as this week’s assault on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. In the broader Middle East, it might take Iran more time, but its proxies could still threaten U.S. personnel, business people or tourists, Rasmussen said. In the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia and Latin America, Iran’s capabilities are less advanced — but not negligible…”