The Ministry of Intelligence and Security—known in Persian as VAJA—is Iran's primary civilian intelligence agency, established in 1984. It operates both domestically and abroad, running counterintelligence operations, monitoring internet traffic, detecting foreign intelligence contacts, and tracking political dissidents. MOIS works alongside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence unit on national security threats. Iranians found to be cooperating with foreign intelligence services face charges under Articles 501-508 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, which classify espionage as a crime punishable by death. The CIA's 2026 Farsi recruitment campaign explicitly warned potential informants to use Tor, VPNs not headquartered in Russia, Iran, or China, and disposable devices—specifically because MOIS has extensive technical surveillance capabilities.