AMU Homeland Security Intelligence Middle East Opinion

Iranian Espionage in the Gulf States

By William Tucker
Iran race for regional supremacy_Page_27_Image_0001.jpgSeveral months ago I stated that Iranian intelligence activities would become more aggressive in the face of increased sanctions. Since Iran has still refused to comply with the UNSC and other concerned nations the regime believes, albeit privately, that some sort of military action may be taken to halt the program. Whenever a nation feels a substantial amount of pressure, such as an increase in sanctions, they will inevitably resort to increased intelligence activities to discern the intentions of their adversaries. In Iran’s case they will certainly be conducting surveillance on U.S. military installations in the Persian Gulf region, and possibly domestic targets should armed hostilities take place. Iran is well known for its support of militant groups throughout the Middle East and Africa.


The Kuwait Times is reporting today, along with a wide variety of Gulf State newspapers, that Kuwaiti military intelligence has busted a spy ring working on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The nation of Bahrain has also made the claim that it too, has exposed an IRGC cell engaged in espionage and conducting surveillance against military targets. The reporting of this information in the press is almost certainly for political reasons as the Gulf States are concerned that the U.S. will abandon their security promises and leaving them to deal with Iran on their own. As the U.S. prepares to draw down its forces in Iraq and Afghanistan this concern will ultimately turn to outright fear. Without the U.S. military substantially engaged in the region Iran will enjoy a level of influence it has not had since prior to the establishment of the Ottoman Empire. Iran has managed to gain a certain level of control over Iraq’s Shiites, has a security pact with Syria, and controls the most dangerous terrorist group in the world – Hezbollah. This means that Iran has managed to its consolidate control over groups stretching from Western Afghanistan all the way to the east coast of the Mediterranean basin.
In many ways Iran is dealing with the U.S. from a position of strength as Washington has tired of armed conflict in the region and the Arab nations have been unable to coordinate an effective response to Iranian encroachment in the Levant. As such, many of the smaller nations that are in the vicinity of Iran proper are feeling the squeeze and have responded by purchasing advanced U.S. military equipment in bulk. Even without Iran possessing nuclear weapons their large population and robust intelligence-militant network is understandably making a lot of folks in the region nervous.
Photo: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

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