Friday, February 11, 2005  CIA Operation in Iran Failed When
Spies Were Exposed  Greg Miller, LA Times: Dozens of CIA
informants inside Iran were executed or imprisoned in the late
1980s or early 1990s after their secret communications with the
agency were uncovered by the government, according to former CIA
officials who discussed the episode after aspects of it were
disclosed during a recent congressional hearing. As many as 50
Iranian citizens on the CIA's payroll were "rolled up" in the
failed operation, according to the former officials, who
described the events as a major setback in spying on a regime
that remains one of the most difficult targets for U.S.
intelligence.  The disclosures underscore the stakes confronting
the CIA and its informants at a time when the United States is
under pressure to produce better intelligence on Iran and
especially its nuclear activities. The Bush administration has
indicated that preventing Iran from obtaining an atomic weapon
will be a priority of the president's sec