Iran’s Shadow Weapons

Surveillance, assassination, and war by proxy—all ingredients for an unending disaster that never seems to end for those exposed to the wrath of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Despite the prevalence of these and other malign acts, few observers understand why and how the regime chooses these tools of fear and disruption. Even fewer can foil them.
In this first work of its kind, the author draws upon two decades of experience to lay bare the calculus, structure, and execution of Iran’s foreign intelligence activities, covert actions, and unconventional warfare operations. This book reveals how the regime’s shadowy work is driven by a warring mixture of rampant paranoia, unshakable greed, and cold rationality. He meticulously reveals a policy toolkit wielded for self-interest and survival, supported by strategies to eliminate opposition figures, stifle dissent, and promote defense in depth around Iran. Before any others, the Iranian people are simultaneously the regime’s greatest source of insecurity and its chief target in a series of policies taking hold since 1979.

Jonathan W. Hackett is a U.S. Marine with two decades of experience. He has held positions at the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, and the Marine Corps operating forces prior to teaching full spectrum human intelligence operations and security cooperation in Dam Neck, Virginia.

Jonathan W. Hackett
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 35 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9693-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5600-7
Imprint: McFarland

“Rich in details and excellently referenced, Jonathan Hackett’s Iran’s Shadow Weapons is fated to become a standard reference work on Iran’s security bodies. Few Western analysts have been able to capture the inner workings of these diverse organizations so well, putting them in proper historical context while explaining them as part of the Iranian regime’s complex rationale for survival. Well-versed in the universe of security and military affairs, Hackett takes us through the formation and structure of Iran’s feared agencies and their gruesome track-record around the world. A must-read for anybody who wants to understand why and how the Islamic Republic of Iran has become a major security headache for governments the world over.”—Arash Azizi, Ph.D., contributing writer, the Atlantic author of What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom and Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the U.S. & Iran’s Global Ambitions