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The performance of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2021-2023)
Sharp-eyed VAJA
10 Principal Axes of VAJA’s Actions
Counteracting Economic Offenses:
Economic threats represent a fundamental impediment to economic growth and advancement. They are frequently utilized as instruments by adversarial governments and foreign services. Interestingly, one of the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Intelligence is to safeguard economic security. In the face of a broad spectrum of threats and a multitude of operations, this aspect has, to a large extent, remained overshadowed. Instances such as smuggling, currency disruptions, money laundering, hoarding, the misuse of cryptocurrencies, unauthorized exchange offices, pyramid schemes, antiquities smuggling, disruptions in the markets for essential commodities like food and medicine, land-grabbing, fraud, forgery of official titles and documents, and more, constitute a collection of offenses that the Ministry of Intelligence has confronted over the course of these two years.
One of the challenges that has compounded the complexity of the fight against economic crimes is the entanglement of economic threats with the counterespionage domain and the infiltration of foreign services into the arena of economic disruption. In the subsequent discussion, we will delve into certain key aspects of this challenge. Actions undertaken include the dismantling of the highly organized network involved in pyramid schemes known as "Unique Finance" in 19 provinces, dealing a blow to the network engaged in cryptocurrency scams known as "Money King," dismantling multiple gangs and networks engaged in land-grabbing and the forgery of official documents and titles for economic motives. Other actions include the blocking of 9,219 unauthorized accounts, the discovery of 7 trillion tomans worth of strategic smuggled goods, the crippling of 23 networks involved in currency disruption, identifying and dismantling 15 organized smuggling groups dealing in tobacco products across 10 provinces of the country, and the arrest of a family network involved in pharmaceutical disruptions.
However, the most critical action by this ministry pertains to the discovery and neutralization of the second phase of riots in 2022, which is the economic phase. This phase encompasses complex financial maneuvers, exploitation of cryptocurrencies, and the involvement of unauthorized currency exchange offices. These actions were elucidated in a joint statement by the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC. A segment of the statement reads as follows: "The transfer and distribution of funds from foreign entities among internal actors responsible for subversive projects are carried out using various and diverse methods. Various methods have been discovered, and numerous individuals have been detained thus far. For instance, a recently uncovered network was found to exploit 'barter' techniques with Iranian individuals traveling abroad, such as students and construction industry activists. In this method, the principal agent or facilitator would identify individuals in need of foreign currency in the destination country, determine the required amount along with the cooperation commission, and instruct them to deposit the funds into a designated account (an account in the United States) upon their return to the country. In another method, some of the profits from investments made in venues such as small workshops, networks related to domestic network marketing, cryptocurrency misuse, unauthorized currency exchange offices, etc., would be injected into American projects inside the country. These methods effectively concealed the origins and destinations of funds for subversive projects, making their identification challenging. Nevertheless, despite the CIA's efforts to complicate the dimensions of fund transfer to the interior, multi-layered financial and informational transactions related to these networks were tracked and identified. Ultimately, financial and informational exchanges of these networks were apprehended."
Striking
Against Terrorist Groups
Governments and affiliated services have long invested in armed groups hostile to the Islamic Republic since the outset of the Islamic Revolution. In the past two years, this support reached its peak, spanning from unprecedented financial and armament assistance to endeavors aimed at connecting anti-revolutionary groups and providing them political support on international platforms. These anti-revolutionary armed groups can be categorized into three main types: transnational, border-based, and central. Transnational groups like ISIS enter the country from abroad and hold foreign affiliations. Border-based groups, such as separatist groups like Komala and Jaysh al-Adl, primarily operate in border regions. Central groups, like the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq) and urban thugs, are active in central cities.
The Ministry of Intelligence, over the course of the past two years, has taken robust measures against all three categories of terrorist groups, effectively thwarting their objectives despite the unprecedented influx of arms into the country. This has been achieved both from an intelligence and operational standpoint.
Actions include the dismantling of two terrorist teams linked to foreign services in Baluchistan in February 2022, the apprehension of members of a separatist terrorist team in the northwest of the country in June 2022, the arrest of 10 individuals affiliated with a terrorist Takfiri group during Muharram of the same year, the capture of individuals involved in a terrorist attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine in November 2022, the identification and elimination of operational nuclei of the MEK in multiple phases, the arrest of individuals involved in the assassination attempt on Mullah Abdul Wahid Rigi, security exchanges with European intelligence organizations, which led to the Albanian police's strike against the MEK in Ashraf 3 camp, and the arrest of the key terrorist element related to the second Shah Cheragh incident. These actions, in addition to the elimination and apprehension of 196 Takfiri terrorists between the two attacks on the shrine of Ahmad ibn Musa, constitute some of the most significant counter-terrorism measures undertaken during these two years. A comprehensive report on the dimensions of each of these operations can delve deeper into the subject.
Combatting Criminal
Cults
The Ministry of Intelligence also shoulders the responsibility of countering the influence and deviation caused by organized cults and the threats associated with these misguided groups. The actions of these cults and pseudo-religious movements cannot be solely attributed to ideological matters. Rather, they must be observed from the perspective of national security threats and their relations with foreign governments and organizations. The Ministry of Intelligence is actively engaged in efforts to counteract groups promoting deviant beliefs, demon-worship, and false mysticism that, under the guise of spirituality, seek to recruit and manipulate individuals for the cult's objectives. As an example, the arrest of the core members of the deviant Baha'i cult aimed at promoting immodesty in August 2022, just a month before the riots of 2022, can be cited.
Fighting
Drug
Trafficking
The production, smuggling, and distribution of narcotics in Iran are part of the anti-Iranian strategy of the American mafia regime, which has seen a significant surge following the occupation of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Intelligence, like other security entities, has a commendable track record in this field, acting as a deterrent to the enemies' objectives. In one of its announcements, the Ministry reported the discovery of 110 tons of various traditional and industrial narcotics. Ministry of Information officials succeeded in uncovering a shipment containing 25 tons of various narcotics in Zahedan during a single operation.
Countering Arms
Smuggling
Another strategy employed by the enemy to destabilize Iran is the smuggling of firearms into the country through border crossings. In just the first three months of the autumn riots of 2022, according to the announcement of the police command, over 10,000 firearms, including light and semi-heavy weapons, were reportedly smuggled into the country. The Ministry of Intelligence, in collaboration with other responsible entities such as regional army bases, security bases, the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC, border control, and extraterritorial intelligence, combats arms smuggling into the country. The dismantling of 78 arms smuggling networks in represents one of the significant achievements of the Ministry of Information officials.
The discussion on the discovery of weapons by VAJA should not be limited to direct operations against arms smuggling networks. Instead, it can also be observed that the discovery of weapons and explosive materials by this security entity plays a vital role in countering terrorist groups and anti-spy operations.
Cybersecurity
One of the strategic areas under the purview of the Ministry of Intelligence is cybersecurity and countering cyberattacks. Cyberattacks are typically carried out by hacker groups affiliated with organizations, hostile governments, and, in some cases, independent criminal groups. These actions are often politically motivated or financially driven, targeting the infrastructure of the industrial, governmental, and banking sectors. The Ministry of Intelligence is one of the responsible bodies for countering these acts of cyber disruption. In one of the announcements by this entity during the riots of the past year, efforts to infiltrate and disrupt Iranian cyberspace by anti-Iranian groups and cyber defense activities were highlighted.
Counterintelligence and Striking Against Foreign Services
Counterintelligence operations against enemy services, in conjunction with cooperation with security organizations from friendly countries, are among the responsibilities and actions of the Ministry of Intelligence. Over the past two years, numerous successful counter-spy operations have been carried out by this organization. Some of the most notable include the arrest of Alireza Akbari, a spy for the English service (MI6), the discovery of a Zionist espionage network connected to Kurdish groups, and the disruption of an explosion operation at an industrial facility, all of which dealt significant blows to MI6 and Mossad. Additionally, the arrest of ten individuals connected to foreign services in Bushehr, the detention of two European spies involved in organizing cultural protests, the arrest of a Swedish spy, and the discovery and dismantling of six operational Mossad teams in several provinces, resulting in the discovery of hundreds of handmade explosive devices, multiple firearms, and grenades, were among the most significant achievements in the field of counterintelligence in the past two years.
Countering
Industrial and Defense Sabotage
Sabotage in the country's industrial centers poses a significant security threat. It involves actions such as bombing production units, hacking production lines, and deploying drones to target these facilities, among others. Attempts to target factories in the defense industry have been one of the enemy's strategies over the past decade. As an example, in February 2023, the Ministry of Intelligence, in a joint operation with the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC and the Information Protection of the Ministry of Defense, thwarted one of these acts of sabotage targeting defense industries.
Countering
Civil Unrest
Launching riots under various pretexts to destabilize countries is one of the longstanding strategies of the US-led global hegemony system. Conversely, predicting, preventing, and countering the tools of civil unrest are among the most critical tasks of the Ministry of Intelligence. Throughout the history of the Islamic Revolution, foreign intelligence organizations have made numerous attempts to foment unrest in Iran under various pretexts. Examples include the communist uprisings, armed Turkmen-Sahra insurgency, Arab separatist movements, the June 20th uprising, and the unrest in 1999.
The Ministry of Intelligence has been one of the primary institutions responsible for predicting, preventing, and countering these acts of unrest since its inception in the summer of 1983. During the past two years of the thirteenth government, several conspiracies to destabilize the country have been thwarted by the Ministry of Information officials, ranging from preventing labor gatherings and arresting those who exploited cultural demands to striking against domestic and foreign elements involved in the autumn riots of 2022. Countermeasures include dismantling networks organized by leaders, discovering hideouts and safe houses of terrorists, uncovering weapons and explosive equipment, identifying sources and methods of financial support for disruptors, information warfare against foreign services, and uncovering communications of organic agents and actors of unrest. Detailed accounts of the actions taken by this ministry in this area can be found in their comprehensive statements jointly released with the IRGC Intelligence Organization and other announcements and statements of this security entity.
Countering
Recruitment and Diversion of Elites
Rival and hostile governments have always sought to exploit the potential of Iran's elites. These efforts range from stealing Iran's historical, scientific, and cultural heritage to luring and deceiving academic and industrial elites by regional and extraregional intelligence services. This recent phenomenon, often referred to as "brain drain" and "migration of elites," has been frequently portrayed with aims beyond psychological objectives such as implying that Iran is uninhabitable for elites. Strategic objectives also include depleting the country of elite human resources, employing these capacities to destabilize the country, and identifying the economic and industrial vulnerabilities for imposing sanctions in these areas. If we examine the names of Iranian entities and think tanks in the United States with anti-Iran positions, we can identify a relatively new generation of Iranians who explicitly adopt anti-Iran positions. They provide economic and industrial information to hostile governments, including the United States, for intensifying and expanding sanctions.
The Ministry of Intelligence is obliged to counter illegal and unlawful propaganda campaigns to recruit elites and, more broadly, prevent the wavering of individuals to foreign countries. In one of the announcements of this ministry earlier this year, it was reported that an international network recruiting Iranians abroad, connected to sensitive entities in the country, had been dismantled. The announcement provided the following explanation:
"To inform the noble Iranian people, it is hereby announced that during the ongoing pursuit of the objectives and intelligence-operational activities of hostile intelligence agencies, information from the heavy and specific concentration of one of the services on Iranians abroad was obtained. Continued surveillance and information gathering activities in a foreign environment revealed that among Iranians moving abroad, individuals with responsibilities in various positions or access to important information in the country's sensitive organizations and institutions and individuals with special expertise in various fields were subject to focused surveillance by the service in question. The said service would convey the names of the target individuals among Iranians abroad to a head of cell who, in turn, would pass them on to their contacts. Eventually, this information reached the executives of the network and, in the same sequence, to intelligence operatives in several organizations and agencies in the country. The individuals in charge of these organizations would, in an illegal and unauthorized manner, extract the information gathered regarding the subject and provide it to the agents."
the most important actions
and achievements in
2021-2023 by VAJA
2021
September 15: Strike against a terrorist group.
September 27: Annihilation of a terrorist cell affiliated with Mossad and elimination of its leader.
September 28: Blow to the "Money King" cryptocurrency scam network.
October 3: Identification of counterfeit titles, such as antique expert, real estate, and automotive.
October 11: Arrest of 10 individuals linked to foreign services in Bushehr.
October 31: Announcement of the destruction of 78 arms smuggling networks
November 6: Dismantling of an organized pyramid scheme fraud network called "Unique Finance" in 19 provinces.
November 12: Discovery of 25 tons of various narcotics in Zahedan.
2022
January 4: Identification of a large-scale smuggling operation of household appliances on the northwestern borders of the country.
January 10: Disruption of a land-grabbing and document forgery gang.
February 19: Detention of individuals involved in forging official titles and documents.
March 14: Elimination of two terrorist teams affiliated with foreign services in Baluchistan.
April 18: Announcement of the discovery of 110 tons of various traditional and industrial narcotics
May 11: Arrest of two European spies linked to the organization behind cultural protests.
May 14: Blocking of 9219 unauthorized accounts.
May 28: Uncovering 7 trillion tomans worth of strategic smuggled goods.
July 13: Arrest of members of a separatist terrorist group in the northwest of the country.
July 23: Discovery of a Zionist espionage network involved in sabotage operations related to Kurdish groups with the aim of causing explosions in one of the country's industrial centers (a significant operation).
July 25: Uncovering a 139-member forgery and economic corruption network.
July 30: Arrest of a Swedish spy.
August 1: Arrest of the core of the promotion of immodesty within the Baha'i sect.
August 4: Arrest of 10 members of terrorist Takfiri groups during the Muharram.
August 17: Arrest of a cross-border terrorist.
September 30: Issuance of a statement regarding the nature of riots.
October 24: Announcement regarding the rumor of hacking of the VAJA website and countering cyberattacks.
October 27: Issuance of a joint clarification statement by the Ministry of Intelligence and the Sepah Intelligence Organization regarding the three-stage courses before, during, and post-turmoil.
October 30: Arrest of terrorist attack elements at Shah Cheragh shrine.
December 6: Identification of operational nuclei of the hypocrites.
December 13: Arrest of individuals involved in the assassination of Mullah Abdul Wahid Rigi.
2023
January 1: Discovery of the financial and equipment supply network of the hypocrites.
January 9: Discovery and destruction of 6 operational Mossad teams in several provinces of the country.
January 10: Arrest of Alireza Akbari, an agent of the British intelligence service.
February 9: Joint operation by the Ministry of Intelligence and Sepah Intelligence Organization to neutralize sabotage at one of the industrial centers.
March 8: Statement by the Ministry of Intelligence regarding the dire situation of some students in certain schools in the country.
March 13: Discovery of explosive equipment and sabotage on the last Wednesday of the year.
April 28: Detailed statement by the Ministry of Intelligence regarding incidents in the country's schools.
May 5: Strike against 23 currency disruption networks.
May 22: Destruction of the network recruiting Iranians abroad.
July 2: Liaison with European intelligence agencies and a blow to the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) in Camp Ashraf 3 by Albanian police.
July 23: Annihilation of several Zionist terrorist teams and the discovery of 43 explosive projectiles on the eve of Muharram.
July 24: Identification of the intelligence and personal identity of a Quran defiler in Sweden (Salwan Momika).
July 25: Identification and dismantling of 15 organized smuggling gangs of tobacco products in 10 provinces of the country.
August 12: Arrest of a Baha'i family network involved in pharmaceutical disruption.
August 17: Arrest of the key terrorist element related to the Shah Cheragh incident and announcement of the detention and elimination of 196 Takfiri terrorists between the two attacks on Shah Cheragh shrine.
August 29: Annihilation of the remnants of terrorist groups affiliated with Zionist services in various parts of the country.