SAVAK
Quick Summary
SAVAK, or the Organization of National Security and Information, was the secret police and intelligence service of Iran prior to the 1978–79 Islamic Revolution. Its primary role was to protect the regime of the shah by suppressing dissent through arrests, torture, and executions. Following the fall of the shah's government, SAVAK was dissolved, and new intelligence services were established. The most significant of these is the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), which handles both intelligence and counterintelligence operations, and has also engaged in covert actions abroad in support of Islamic causes.1
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