Steven R. Ward worked as an intelligence officer for nearly thirty years with the Central Intelligence Agency, covering Middle Eastern, South Asian, and related national security issues. He served as a deputy national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia on the National Intelligence Council (2005–6) and as a director of intelligence programs for the National Security Council (1998–99). He is a retired US Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and 1980 graduate of the US Military Academy. He also is the author of Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces (Georgetown University Press, 2009 and 2014).

• List of IllustrationsChronology of Important Iranian Intelligence- and National Security–Related EventsPrefaceList of AbbreviationsChapter 1: FoundationChapter 2: LeadersChapter 3: Organization and Organizational CultureChapter 4: Operations and Tradecraft Chapter 5: Intelligence Community and Foreign Intelligence PartnersChapter 6: Cultural RepresentationsChapter 7: Legacy and OutlookSelected BibliographyIndexAbout the Author

It is a systematic retelling of Iran's intelligence operations over four decades, concluding with the beginning of the war against Hamas....[T]his is an absorbing book because it is not peppered with clichés, slogans, or inflating denunciations. It is effective because it just presents the cold, hard facts.