SAVAK

Sāzemān-e Ettelā'āt va Amniyat-e Keshvar, lit. '"Intelligence and Security Organization of the Country"') was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi. It was established by Mohammad Reza Shah with the help of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Mossad. SAVAK operated from 1957 until prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar ordered its dissolution during the outbreak of the Iranian Revolution of 1979.