Inside Iran's Covert Operations | Jon Hackett | Ep. 368

The Team House

dee takos

History, Government, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.7 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2025

⏱️ 101 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this conversation, Jonathan Hackett shares his extensive experience in the Marine Corps, focusing on his transition from signals intelligence (SIGINT) to human intelligence (HUMINT) and his operations in Iraq. He discusses the complexities of Iran's intelligence landscape, including the roles of the IRGC and Vaja, and the impact of economic sanctions on the Iranian regime. Hackett also delves into the targets of Iranian intelligence operations, the concept of sacred talismans in Iranian politics, and the ongoing threat of assassination attempts against dissidents. The conversation highlights the intricate dynamics of intelligence work and the challenges faced by operatives in the field. In this conversation, Jonathan W. Hackett discusses various aspects of Iran's covert operations, intelligence collection, and military strategies. He delves into the evolution of Iran's cyber capabilities, the impact of sanctions, and the complexities of their unconventional warfare. The discussion also covers the Iran Experts Initiative, the dynamics of coalition operations against ISIS, and the implications of cyber operations on U.S. intelligence. Hackett emphasizes the importance of understanding Iran's historical context and regional influence, as well as the challenges in assessing threats posed by proxy groups on U.S. soil.
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"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"
00:00 Jonathan Hackett's Marine Corps Journey
02:57 Counterintelligence Operations in Iraq
05:52 Transitioning from SIGINT to Human Intelligence
09:06 Insights on Iran's Intelligence Landscape
12:07 The Role of the IRGC and Vaja
17:48 The Impact of Sanctions on Iran
20:59 Iran's Intelligence Targets and Operations
35:09 Iran's Ethnic Tensions and Separatist Movements
39:43 The Role of Diplomatic Cover in Intelligence
46:00 Assassination Attempts and Targeted Operations
53:18 Iran's Covert Influence Operations
55:53 The Evolution of Iran's Cyber Capabilities
01:08:03 Circumventing Sanctions: Iran's Financial Strategies
01:17:58 Coalitions Against ISIS: A Complex Relationship
01:22:01 The Fallout of Exposed Intelligence Programs
01:26:39 Iran's Support in the Bosnian Civil War
01:29:03 Hezbollah's Presence and Operations in the U.S.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Team House with your hosts, Jack Murphy and David Park.
0:11.8	Everybody, welcome to episode 368.
0:15.4	I am Dave.
0:17.0	Here with me tonight is Dee, our fearless producer and sometimes hosts, and the host of IZahn.
0:23.4	Our guest tonight, again, is Jonathan Hackett.
0:25.8	If you didn't see his first episode, it was 351.
0:30.0	Tonight we're going to talk a little bit more about his Marine Corps background, and we're also going to talk about his book, which I have right here. A phenomenal book, Iran's shadow weapons. I'm used to being able to just hold it up in the camera's there. Iran's shadow weapons. So welcome back, Jonathan. We really appreciate it. Yeah, thanks for having me. It's great to see you guys. Not in the studio this time, but still good to see you.
0:52.3	Yeah, we're having some technical issues at the studio. So we're doing this old school. Hey, what's up, guys? I want to thank our sponsor, PIA VPN. That's private internet access. You guys ever been at a coffee shop connected to their Wi-Fi and wondered just how secure you are? It turns out you're not very secure at all. It's like sending a private text message to a group chat.
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