This paper includes the findings of an assessment of the intelligence collection capabilities of the Iranian intelligence services with respect to two foreign intelligence targets. The first foreign intelligence target is the complement of United States armed forces in Iraq. The second foreign intelligence target is the State of Israel.
United States Military Forces in Iraq: Assessment of the Iranian Intelligence Collection Capabilities
The consideration of the intelligence collection capabilities of the Iranian intelligence services with respect to the complement of United States armed forces in Iraq focuses on three factors. The first factor is the strength of the Iranian intelligence services in the development of intelligence on United States military operations in Iraq. The second factor is the weakness of the Iranian intelligence services in the development of intelligence on United States military operations in Iraq. The third factor is the effectiveness of the support that the Iranian intelligence services could provide in the event of an attack by the United States on nuclear facilities within Iran. Such intelligence support is assessed in relation to potential terrorist and/or paramilitary attacks on United States armed forces in Iraq.
From the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran through the recent (2009) general election in Iran, a multifaceted intelligence system had developed in Iran (Rakel, 2007). The structure of this system included a strong emphasis on internal security issues. The multiple agencies that developed domestic intelligence focused primarily on the preservation of the governmental system. Foreign intelligence was developed by civilian and military intelligence agencies. Subsequent to the general election in 2009, however, concerns over the loyalties of the members of the civilian intelligence agency resulted in the transfer of primary authority for t
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