Iranian Intelligence

      Iranian intelligence today is kept tightly under wraps. No one outside of the Iranian government knows specifically what the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security or VEVAK does. The intelligence community in Iran is one of the most feared organizations because of its tendency to eliminate any and all of its opponents. To fully understand Iranian intelligence today, one must first examine its beginnings.

            The first real intelligence agency documented by the government was known as SAVAK and is the predecessor to VEVAK. VEVAK was meant to be a continuation of SAVAK, but no one in positive whether this is the case. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi formed SAVAK in 1957 with the primary duty of eliminating threats to the Shah. The CIA supported the organization when the Shah was reinstated in 1953. Basically, SAVAK became a tool for eliminating the opponents of the regime through brutal methods. Over the years it became one of the most, if not the most, hated organizations in all of Iran. SAVAK was eliminated in 1979 and replaced with VEVAK in the early 1980s. However, it has not been seen that VEVAK has deviated from the brutal tactics of SAVAK.

            The minister of Intelligence is currently Gholam-Hussein Mohseni and he has served the whole term under president Mahmud Ahmadinejad. VEVAK is now known for quickly silencing any critic of the government. Opponents seem to disappear or are easily assassinated. VEVAK is under the control of Grand Ayatollah Khameini.

            The interests of Iranian intelligence are unknown, as are the interests of many state intelligence communities. However, one is able to easily speculate the important issues. There are four main issues that the government of Iran pursues: nuclear productivity, Islamic law (Sharia), Oil, and Arab dominance/Israeli destruction.

            The first topic is the one most widely seen in the news today. Although the government of Iran swears that it is seeking to produce nuclear technology for the sole purpose of energy, the state is under heavy suspicion of seeking the capability to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the U.N. many times but continues to pursue a nuclear agenda. Although already a strong country, the power of nuclear weapons would propel Iran further into the spotlight. Naturally, the intelligence community in Iran is most likely seeking any sort of technological advance it can find. There have been recent news articles pertaining to the sale of U.S. nuclear technology to the Iranians, and it has been reported and is highly likely that VEVAK and the other intelligence agencies were involved.

            The Iranian government also has a strong interest in preserving the Sharia within its borders. In the past few years, there have been some outspoken critics of the government. The calls have been for an end to Islamic law by the critics because of the suppression of human rights that goes along with it. However, the government has seen this as a ploy by the West to get Iranian citizens to modernize and has chosen to have them eliminated. Any citizen educated in the United States or who has had contact with the West is under heavy suspicion. Allegedly, VEVAK has carried out the arrest, torture, and executions of the critics in the name of Islamic law.

            Oil was a huge part of Ahmadinejad’s campaign for the presidency. He promised that every Iranian would see some sort of profit from oil come to their home. However, this has not happened and more criticism of the government has begun because of that. Again, although it is not necessarily supposed to, the task of silencing critics falls to the intelligence community. Also, because of VEVAK’s place as the ministry of national security, it is responsible for doing what it can to ensure the success of Iranian oil. Whether they coerce other states through covert means or use other deceitful tactics to ensure that success is unknown, but it is clear that oil is a major priority.

            Lastly, Iran is an extremely outspoken opponent of Israel, and, in turn, is a proponent of Arab dominance in the Middle East. Allegedly, the government supplies the terrorist organization (so designated by the U.S. and other Western powers) Hezbollah with arms and other means to “liberate” the Palestinians and destroy Israel. Ahamdinejad and former Grand Ayatollah Khomeini have both publicly suggested that Israel should be “wiped off the face of the map”. While Iran does not see itself as dealing with terrorists, much of the world thinks that to be the case, so many of the dealings are covert or under the table. Any effort to end Zionism and the Israeli regime is most likely performed by the intelligence community.

            As one can see, the Iranians, naturally, keep information about their intelligence community tightly under wraps. However, from examining the government and what it perceives to be national security issues, it is relatively easy to discern what VEVAK does. The organization is no longer supported by the CIA, as the U.S. has no diplomatic ties with Iran, and is a hated organization within the state because of its retaliation against government opponents. There is no question though that the intelligence community plays a large role in the execution of governmental duties, both above and under the table.