Former CIA operative Robert Baer here exposes for the first time the true extent of Iran's tightening grip on the Middle East and the world's energy corridor, the Persian Gulf - revealing that the Shia nation has effectively checkmated the United States and other leading countries in a new global power play. Imagine an Iran that controls the world's oil, that has brought other countries in the Middle East under its flag, that uses its terrorist groups and military forces to undermine any country in the region that resists it. As Baer shows, this blood-chilling future is virtually assured unless Washington wakes up, acknowledges Iran's status, and learns to deal with Iran's rulers at least partly on their terms.