It's shocking to find that the insider threat in Iran is so high-ranking! On March 27, Iran exposed its most severe espionage infiltration incident in history. The central figure in this case is Taib, a former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization and a core confidant of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Information reveals that from 2009 to 2022, he served as the head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization for thirteen years, overseeing counter-espionage, high-level security, nuclear and missile intelligence, and possessing access to Iran’s highest state secrets.

In 2015, his son, studying in the UK, was taken control of by Mossad and subsequently blackmailed into long-term espionage. Major leaks included the whereabouts of senior officials and scientists such as Qasem Soleimani and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh—leading directly to their assassinations—as well as the disclosure of coordinates and security data for Natanz nuclear facilities and missile bases. On February 28, when Ayatollah Khamenei convened a high-level meeting, it was precisely targeted by a U.S.-Israel precision airstrike. Taib had left the venue 20 minutes prior to the attack, and he is now suspected of providing the meeting location, air defense codes, and real-time positioning information.

As a key figure who held supreme control over IRGC intelligence for thirteen years, Taib’s betrayal is akin to planting a time bomb at the very heart of Iran’s national security system. With multiple top Iranian leaders eliminated by U.S.-Israeli strikes, Iran swiftly launched its highest-level anti-spy operation, conducting a comprehensive investigation across the Revolutionary Guard, intelligence agencies, and security departments. Over 550 spies were apprehended, and Taib was among them. Such an insider, a traitor who sold critical national intelligence, caused massive damage to Iran—once again proving that fortresses are most vulnerable from within. Iran has now executed him, but the damage already inflicted is irreversible.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860805825937418/

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