Outside View: Iranian spies in our midst
A new report commissioned by the Pentagon and released by the Library of Congress provides a frightening look into the operations of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence Services right here in the United States. As President Barack Obama's new national security team ponders its options for containing and rolling back Iran's nuclear ambitions, it must factor that before the sanctions have had their full effect, and before a single shot is fired, an aggressive, well-funded intelligence war is evidently well under way. According to the report, the prime targets of the MOIS are the various opposition groups and dissidents seeking to undermine or supplant the regime. These groups have varying degree of sway in the United States but are hated and feared in Tehran. The MOIS has in particular focused on demonizing the People's Mujahedin of Iran, which has emerged as the main voice for a democratic, secular, non-nuclear Iran and the lead player in the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition led by Maryam Rajavi. The 64-page Pentagon report notes that the MOIS has assessed the PMOI as its most serious internal threat and has launched a serious disinformation campaign in the United States and the West designed to drain political and moral support for the group.
