Georgetown University Press Iran's Ministry of Intelligence: A Concise History (Concise Histories of Intelligence)

In an effort to hold its executive branch accountable to the law and subordination of rulers, Iran established the Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS). While primarily focused on tracking and countering domestic dissent and foreign-inspired sedition, the MOIS history also includes assassinations and human rights abuse. Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence is a concise account of the history, evolution, and operations of Iran's primary intelligence agency. Nonetheless, the ministry maintains a leading role in coordinating the multiple security organizations’ activities and helps balance the system by serving as a check on IRGC power. This comprehensive overview seeks to update and improve on the paucity of available works on Iran’s intelligence ministry to promote an understanding of the ministry’s history and actions. Each chapter addresses questions about the ministry’s origins and its development amid war and the various internal and external security threats the Islamic Republic faces. Iran’s Military of Intelligence also examines the ministry’s leaders, their relationships with other senior Iranian officials, and the impact of their tenures on the ministry. Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence will be of interest to students and readers of intelligence studies and national security practitioners.