The Secret War with Iran: The 30-Year Clandestine Struggle Against the World's Most Dangerous Terrorist Power

Written by an Israeli journalist with access to secret Mossad documents and insider knowledge about what has, is, and will be happening inside Iran. The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is very much in evidence. In an age when hack journalists and armchair generals give birth to 2 or 3 books a year off the tops of their heads in pretty much the same way that Zeus gave birth to Athena, it is reassuring to know that there are still a few writers like Bergman who have the integrity to do the job right. Bergman sets a standard for political analysis that others will find hard to follow. If you want to know how the Ayatollah and the mullahs came to power and what they intend to do with it, this book is a must read.

This is an extremely important book. It describes in a detailed, richly documented, and clearly - argued way the thirty year secret war between Iran and the West, primarily, the United States and Israel. It opens with a description of the twilight of the Iranian monarchy, and tells the story of Khomeini's coming to power. It shows the blindness of American Intelligence services, and their failure to have a full grasp of what was going on in Iran. The theme of the failure of Intelligence, both of U.S. and Israeli sources, and the element of denial in that failure is one central theme of the book. The book also details operational decisions which at the time seemed a choice of the lesser of two - evils but in the long run proved critically wrong. One of these was the Israeli decision and this with American approval to arm Iran against the growing power of Saddam Hussein. This decision helped save the Islamic Republic from collapse. The book illuminates the whole Iran- contra affair and provides clear evidence of knowledge of the affair at the highest U.S. government levels. If the mistakes of the U.S. and Israel are one central theme, the other is the determination, comprehensiveness, and ruthlessness of Iran's war of terror against the West. Bergman claims that time and again Iran and its surrogate Hizbollah outsmarted and dealt telling blows to Israel and the U.S. Successful terror bombings such as two in Beirut on the American Embassy in April 18, 1983, and on the Marine contingent at the Beirut Airport October 23, 1983- on the Israel intelligence service facility at Tyre in Southern Lebanon November 1982 , or the US. Army installation at Khobar in Saudi Arabia were devastating tactical and strategic successes. The terror drove the U.S. from Lebanon, and it put Israeli intelligence services into a process of denial which was no doubt part of the unpreparedness which led to the failures of the 2006 War with Hizbollah. Bergman gives a lot of credit for Hizbollah's terror successes to one operative Imad Mougniyeh who was behind most of the spectacular operations. He was responsible for more American deaths than any terror force before 9/11. Another surprising revelation of this work is that despite the stereotypical conception of Shiite- Sunnite enmity in the matter of terror the Shiite operatives of Mougniyeh and the Sunni operatives of Al-Quaeda have trained and worked together. This book traces how Hizbollah rose to power in Lebanon. It tells the story of how an Israeli arms- dealer and traitor supplied Nachum Manber supplied Iran with the basis for its chemical WMD. It tells the story of Iran's dealings with Russia in regard to acquiring technology for a nuclear weapon, and shows how it thwarted in that route found a way to the technology through Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Kadeer Khan. It gives convincing evidence as to how Iran has fooled the IAEA and the world and continued to progress towards nuclear weapons. More than any boo

mandatory read for anyone who wishes to understand the true nature of the most severe security threat the US is facing

This informative history (not secret anymore obviously) documents how Islamic revolutionaries have repeatedly outwitted Israel and the west. If we our are not outwitting them in operations that are still classified, then it is hard to see how this long struggle ends without conflagration (unless we back off of our hard no nuke Iran position). To this day there are no indications in the media that Iran is being contained with reason and covert means.

I've read the Hebrew version of this book, it took me about a day and I'm no fast reader! The book really reads like a Tom Clancy thriller, which is an amazing achievement for a completely factual book with no coherent storyline. Reading this book gave me a feeling that conspiracy books give - you start to doubt your own perception of reality. But the real disturbing thing about it is that this is no conspiracy book! Although it includes a lot of new information, almost all of it is well backed. I highly recommend this book for understanding the real dynamics of the middle east. And for gaining a deeper understanding of what really motivates Iran and its nuclear program.