Iran has as many as 40,000 spies in Arab world, says defector

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By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
An alleged former Iranian spy, who defected several years ago, claims that the Islamic Republic has “as many as 40,000” covert operatives in the Persian Gulf. The alleged defector spoke anonymously to al-Arabiya, a Saudi-owned pan-Arabic television network based in the United Arab Emirates. He told his interviewer that the activities of the undercover operatives are coordinated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Among other revelations, the unidentified defector said that Iranian spy cells tend to work in groups of five and operate independently, usually unaware of the operations or even existence of other nearby cells. The 40,000 operatives include numerous temporary informants, who are contracted for a short period, often to supply information on military capabilities, energy and communications infrastructure, as well as the inner workings of economic organizations active in the Gulf region. Other operatives work on a full-time basis, said the defector, who allegedly “fled to another country” in 1993, after having worked for the Revolutionary Guards for five years. Al-Arabiya said the defector provided “documents outlining some of his intelligence missions and orders from the Guards, but requested the documents not be published due to fear for his personal security”.