Iran Intelligence Essay

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Iran Intelligence

In many ways Iran has learned to do what other developed nations have done to protect their interests: try to specialize. This is exactly what it has done in regards to its intelligence and war capabilities. It now has a diverse military and populous system that it at least publicly presents as being able to undertake very distinct protection and defense tasks both inside and outside of the country. Of course, being involved in nearly constant disputes with powerful forces such as the United State and Israel has also required it turn to guerilla type tactics and strategies that enable it to add other capabilities against modern weapons and tools.

The majority of its intelligence collection capabilities seem to be center on three specific units.[footnoteRef:1] They are the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Quds (or Jerusalem) forces and the Basij, which is essentially a popular volunteer contingent. The IRGC is the main power force. It is the direct military arm of Iran's government, having evolved into this since 1979 when Iran found itself in numerous fights with the U.S., against Iraq, and with internal movements and regional opponents. As its leadership changed and evolved, the IRGC took on more responsibility and authority and it is now said to be the primary offensive and defensive front with hands-on weapons control. This is the organization that maintains official responsibility for conventional and non-conventional stockpiles of whatever armaments the nation has. [1 A.H. Cordesman, Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the Al Quds Force and Other Intelligence and Paramilitary Forces. Working Draft. Center for Strategic and International Studies: Washington, D.C., 2007. 4]

Like other nations, however, Iran's specialization of services has developed to enable it to use asymmetrical strategies.

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[footnoteRef:2] The Quds have essentially taken on the role of multi-national counterintelligence activities with a large focus on working against Israeli moves, often by using networks for weapons purchasing and distribution. [2: Ibid., 6.]

The Basij, on the other hand, have evolved to focus the populous forces on building and maintaining internal forces of intelligence gathering. It is thought that they rely on young people, the elderly and even professional groups and associations. In concentrating on these troops, the Basij clearly help to retain internal control for the government, but they also model more contemporary tactics as can be detected in the ways in which the Obama administration has redirected its infiltration methodologies. While the IRGC itself is thought to be behind high-technology strategies to circumvent U.S. monitoring capabilities (such as by burying high-speed transmission cabling), it is the Basij who have friendships and alliances with NGOs and other community organizers. Recent media reports indicate that these approaches have involved influential Iranian and American HIV / AIDS, fashion and even professional and business people that the U.S. has been using as sources of intelligence.[footnoteRef:3] [3: Thomas Erdbrink. Iranian Official Warns U.S. Not to Spy on His Country: Comments Describe a 'Full Fledged Intelligence War'Between U.S., Iran. Washington Post Foreign Services. January 19, 2009. ]

There are several key strengths associated with these three sectors that Iran has built to increase the likelihood that it could (yet again) be successful if a military conflict with the U.S., Israel or another regional power occurs. While the strengths are identifiable, they also have added potential because each is made to appear even more important because of the country's propaganda tactics and its reliance on military bravado......

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