Iran’s current intelligence structure is not equipped to deal with the scale and nature of threats posed by Israel and needs fundamental reorganization, a former senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said.
Hossein Alaei, a former commander of the IRGC navy, said Iran’s intelligence agencies failed to anticipate Israeli operations, including plans to target Iranian commanders and scientists, and argued that the system lacks the focus needed to counter Israel’s security and intelligence apparatus.
“If our intelligence services had been properly focused on Israel’s activities, they should have known about plans to assassinate Iranian commanders and scientists, including through the use of aircraft,” Alaei said, according to remarks carried by Iranian media.
Referring to the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, Alaei said the fighting exposed structural weaknesses in Iran’s intelligence setup and showed that it had not been organized in proportion to Israel’s intelligence and security efforts against Iran.
“The experience of the 12-day war showed that we have not structured our intelligence organization in line with the level of Israeli intelligence and security activity directed at Iran,” he said.
Alaei’s comments add to rare public acknowledgments by figures linked to Iran’s security establishment that Israel retains significant intelligence and military advantages.
Clearer division of roles in Iran’s intelligence system
Alaei called for a reorganization that would sharply divide responsibilities between Iran’s two main intelligence bodies – the Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC’s intelligence organization – saying their current overlap has reduced effectiveness.
“At present, both the Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC’s intelligence arm are simultaneously engaged in domestic security issues and in monitoring Israel, and this structure has clearly not produced the required results,” he said.
He proposed that one of the two agencies focus exclusively on Israel, while the other take primary responsibility for internal security.
Alaei also criticized what he described as a lack of basic preventive measures, saying that in some cases individuals known to be Israeli targets were living together in the same residential building, enabling Israel to kill multiple targets in a single strike.
His remarks come amid a broader debate inside Iran over the country’s military and security performance during the 12-day conflict.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said earlier this week that Israel had enjoyed missile superiority during the fighting, comments that drew criticism from some lawmakers who accused him of undermining Iran’s defensive capabilities.
NBC News reported this week that Israel is preparing to present US President Donald Trump with options for renewed military action against Iran’s nuclear program, while the Al-Monitor website cited European diplomats as saying Israel could strike Iran again in 2026 even without US approval.
The activity involves movements and coordination beyond normal patterns, including Iranian drone, missile and air-defence units, the sources said.
The developments could be linked to military exercises, Western officials with knowledge of the matter told Iran International but added that the scale and synchronization had drawn closer scrutiny.
Intelligence services are tracking command-and-control signals, deployments and logistical movements associated with the IRGC Air Force, the sources said.
The assessments come amid continued tensions between Iran and Western countries over Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs, and speculation about the possibility of renewed Israeli or even US attacks on Iran.
NBC News reported earlier today that Israeli officials are preparing to brief US President Donald Trump on options for possible new military strikes on Iran, citing concerns that Tehran is expanding its ballistic missile program.
Israeli officials believe Iran is rebuilding facilities linked to ballistic missile production and repairing air defenses damaged in a 12-day war in June, which they view as more urgent concerns than nuclear enrichment and fears of Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon, NBC reported.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon but the United States and Western countries want Iran to end uranium enrichment, curb its missile power and rein its aid for armed groups in the region like Hamas and Hezbollah. Tehran has rejected the conditions.
Earlier this month, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dismissed speculations about a possible fresh round of war on Iran, calling it part of “enemy propaganda”.
“Today, beyond these military confrontations — which have existed, as you have seen, and whose likelihood is constantly being talked up, with some even deliberately fanning the flames to create anxiety, though they will not succeed, God willing — we are facing a propaganda and media confrontation,” Khamenei said.
Speaking on Thursday during a visit to South Khorasan province, Pezeshkian said that although Iran had launched missiles during the fighting, Israel’s arsenal proved superior in both quantity and capability.
“It is true that we had missiles, but their missiles were more numerous, more powerful, more precise and easier to deploy,” Pezeshkian said.
He added that it was the people who ultimately frustrated Israel, without elaborating.
Pezeshkian rejected calls for Iran to curb its missile program, framing it as essential to national defense.
“They tell us not to have missiles, while they arm Israel to the teeth so it can come here whenever it wants, raze everything and leave,” he said. “I will not accept that.”
US officials have said any talks with Tehran would hinge on sweeping conditions that include Iran ending uranium enrichment and dismantling key parts of its nuclear program, curbing or accepting limits on its missile program, and rolling back support for regional proxy forces.
The missile issue is politically charged in Tehran after the June conflict, in which Israel relied heavily on layered air and missile defenses – alongside US support – to blunt waves of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, while still suffering some strikes that penetrated defenses.
