Iran Targets Dissidents With 30,000-Strong Spy Army

...the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, or MOIS. According to a new report by the Federal Research Division at the Library of Congress, the spy agency counts as “the most powerful and well-supported ministry among all Iranian ministries” in terms of finances and support. The report, first obtained by Bill Gertz at The Washington Free Beacon, describes a 30,000 strong army of spies — the largest intelligence agency in the Middle East — responsible for assassinating political opponents, espionage, and, above all, crushing potential rivals to Tehran’s ruling elite.

But first note that the MOIS is distinct from the Quds Force, the combination special forces and CIA-styled intelligence wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. According to the report, the MOIS is mainly a domestic agency directed at infiltrating regime opponents inside Iran — as well as dissident groups organized by Iranian expatriates around the world. It’s currently headed by cleric Heydar Moslehi, who the U.S. government has sanctioned for being allegedly responsible for “beatings, mental abuse, and sexual abuse” carried out against Iranian political prisoners....

See [link to www.wired.com] for complete article & link to Library of Congress Report