Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security is believed to employ more
than 30,000 intelligence officers and support personnel, making it "one of
the largest and most active intelligence agencies in the Middle East,"
according to a new report from the Federal Research Division of the Library
of Congress.

"The Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) uses all means at its
disposal to protect the Islamic Revolution of Iran, utilizing such methods
as infiltrating internal opposition groups, monitoring domestic threats and
expatriate dissent, arresting alleged spies and dissidents, exposing
conspiracies deemed threatening, and maintaining liaison with other foreign
intelligence agencies as well as with organizations that protect the
Islamic Republic's interests around the world," the report states.

See "Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security: A Profile," December
2012.

        http://www.fas.org/irp/world/iran/mois-loc.pdf

The report was first obtained and reported by Bill Gertz in "Iran Spy
Network 30,000 Strong," Washington Free Beacon, January 3, 2013.

        http://freebeacon.com/iran-spy-network-30000-strong/

The new report provides an informative account of the Ministry's history,
organizational structure, and recruitment practices, as far as these can be
discerned from published sources.

"The information in this report was collected mainly from Farsi and
English journals, online news Web sites, and Iranian blogs," the Preface
states.  (Some older information from the FAS web site is cited at a couple
of points.)

"Needless to say, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security does not
publish information about its activities on Iranian Web sites.
Consequently, in the absence of official government information, this
report occasionally relies on social media, in particular blogs, as a
source of information more than might ordinarily be warranted. The
reliability of blog-based information may be questionable at times, but it
seems prudent to evaluate and present it in the absence of alternatives."

"Every minister of intelligence must hold a degree in ijtihad (the ability
to interpret Islamic sources such as the Quran and the words of the Prophet
and imams) from a religious school, abstain from membership in any
political party or group, have a reputation for personal integrity, and
possess a strong political and management background," the report says.

A newly disclosed U.S. Army intelligence document explains how to
determine whether weapons that were captured in Iraq were manufactured in
Iran.

Iranian weapons systems "have several distinctive visual identification
markings that identify their source" which are described in the Army
publication.  The document was partially declassified last month and was
obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Matthew Schroeder of the
FAS Arms Sales Monitoring Project.

See "Identifying Small Arms and RPGs Produced in Iran," U.S. Army National
Ground Intelligence Center, 2004.

        http://www.fas.org/irp/world/iran/smallarms.pdf

ARMY DRAWDOWN, SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES, MORE FROM CRS

New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that
Congress has not made available to the public include the following.

Army Drawdown and Restructuring: Background and Issues for Congress,
January 3, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42493.pdf

U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress,
January 3, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS21048.pdf

The Unified Command Plan and Combatant Commands: Background and Issues for
Congress, January 3, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42077.pdf

Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues, January 3, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/97-868.pdf

Internet Governance and the Domain Name System: Issues for Congress,
January 2, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42351.pdf

Federal Regulation of Chemicals in Commerce: An Overview of Issues for the
113th Congress, January 3, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42879.pdf

Physician Practices: Background, Organization, and Market Consolidation,
January 2, 2013:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42880.pdf

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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
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email:  saftergood@fas.org
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