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Omid, whose real name cannot be used, signed up to join Iran's security forces when he was 18 years old and harbored "a deep commitment to my country." At the academy, Omid told DW, cadets were under the regime's control "day and night," from their military training through the daily prayers and speeches. "They mold the minds of the young cadets," Omid said. Some of these recruits, Omid said, eventually rise through the ranks of Iran's security apparatus to join an elite cadre of officers who plot missions, abductions and assassinations inside and outside of Iran — and have access to unlimited resources and personnel. And, he said, he attended their meetings."Omid" was a commander in Iran's special forces. Image: DW A defector speaks  When Omid, a burly man who carries scars accumulate...

Omid, whose real name cannot be used, signed up to join Iran's security forces when he was 18 years old and harbored "a deep commitment to my country." At the academy, Omid told DW, cadets were under the regime's control "day and night," from their military training through the daily prayers and speeches. "They mold the minds of the young cadets," Omid said. Some of these recruits, Omid said, eventually rise through the ranks of Iran's security apparatus to join an elite cadre of officers who plot missions, abductions and assassinations inside and outside of Iran — and have access to unlimited resources and personnel. And, he said, he attended their meetings."Omid" was a commander in Iran's special forces. Image: DW A defector speaks  When Omid, a burly man who carries scars accumulate...