The fall of the Shah in 1979 was widely believed to mark the end of SAVAK, Iran’s notorious secret police. However, instead of dismantling the organization, the new clerical regime repurposed its core structures, integrating its operatives and methodologies into a formidable intelligence apparatus that continues to wield influence domestically and abroad.

SAVAK’s Absorption into the Islamic Republic

A revealing segment aired on Iranian state television on February 2, 2025, confirmed long-standing suspicions that the revolutionaries retained much of SAVAK’s intelligence infrastructure. Filmmaker Iman Goudarzi stated, “SAVAK had eleven divisions; only one was dismantled after the revolution. The rest remained intact and pledged allegiance to Imam Khomeini before the fall of the Shah.”

Multiple sources corroborate this claim, revealing that Iran’s foreign intelligence, counterintelligence, and technical surveillance units remained largely operational under the new regime. A former high-ranking SAVAK counterintelligence officer admitted in a 2023 interview that revolutionaries sought their expertise to maintain security without reliance on Western intelligence. As a result, counterintelligence efforts previously focused on Soviet spies were redirected to suppress internal dissent.

 

 

By 1984, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) had consolidated its control, absorbing the most skilled SAVAK operatives. Despite this centralization, intelligence functions remained fragmented, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controlling key aspects of surveillance and security, leading to factional disputes within the regime.

Domestic Surveillance and Torture

The brutality associated with SAVAK did not disappear but was instead refined under the new regime. Notorious figures like Javad Azadeh, who gained infamy under the Shah, resurfaced in Iran’s intelligence circles, applying his interrogation techniques to silence dissenters. Reports indicate that his methods remained unchanged, ensuring forced confessions through relentless psychological and physical coercion.

 

 

Targeting Dissidents Abroad

Iran’s intelligence services have continued SAVAK’s tradition of international operations, using assassination and abduction to eliminate opposition figures. Early examples include the 1979 arrest of PMOI member Mohammad Reza Saadati, orchestrated by ex-SAVAK operatives. By the 1990s, Iranian intelligence was implicated in assassinations across Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. More recently, the U.S. State Department has linked Iran’s intelligence agencies to plots targeting dissidents in Europe and North America.

 

 

SAVAK’s Enduring Influence

Though the ideological justification for repression has shifted—from defending the monarchy to preserving a fundamentalist state—the methods remain the same. Iran’s intelligence apparatus, fortified by former SAVAK operatives, remains one of the most feared in the world. As former MOIS official Saeed Hajjarian stated, “We did not replace SAVAK. We repurposed it.”

 

 

 

---

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu