The Sentinel Regime: Herasat and Institutionalized Surveillance in Iran

This paper examines the critical yet understudied role of Herasat, Iran’s security offices embedded in state and semi-state institutions, in sustaining the Islamic Republic’s authoritarian regime. Functioning as a panopticon-like apparatus, Herasat systematically monitors and controls state employees, enforces ideological conformity, and suppresses dissent. While substantial research exists on Iran’s coercive entities, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Basij militia, and police, Herasat’s pervasive integration across government, education, and industry sectors remains largely overlooked. Using a historical institutional framework and qualitative methods, this study traces the evolution of Herasat, explores its operational mechanisms, and analyzes the apparatus’s contributions to political repression and regime survival in Iran. The paper further sheds light on Herasat’s unique role in Iran’s broader security architecture, offering insights into the institutional dynamics of authoritarian resilience and the obstacles faced by dissidents under extensive surveillance.