The Nesting of Chinese Swallows in the Islamic Emirate’s Forests
A more recent case is that of Mordechai Vanunu, who worked at the Dimona nuclear plant and revealed to the Sunday Times that “Israel has nuclear weapons.”
By Mohammad Alipoor
(The Honey Trap or Falling into a Honey Pot)
A honey trap, also known as a “Sweet Trap” or a “Mistress Trap,” is an operation in which an intelligence agency attempts to coerce a “target” by threatening to expose illicit sexual or emotional relationships and tarnish their reputation, leading them to become a spy or informant. It is also used as a method of intelligence gathering, where trained sex workers spy on their clients. After World War II, honey traps became so widespread in Europe that the U.S. government instructed its foreign staff to report any romantic involvement with nationals from countries deemed hostile to the U.S.
In Iran, “swallow” is a term used to describe women whom security agencies place in the path of officials, political figures, critics, dissidents, and even foreign diplomats to entrap them for blackmail. A “swallow,” a well-known term in the world of espionage, refers to a female operative employed by intelligence agencies to entrap men. These women may be skilled agents, enticing seductresses, or even the target’s lover, who has been identified and recruited by the agency.
The practice of honey traps or, as it is commonly referred to in Iran, “swallow operations,” might be as old as human history itself, involving individuals who use their physical allure, charm, and sexual attraction to get close to their targets, infiltrating their lives to pass valuable information to their handlers. The term “swallow” may misleadingly suggest that only women are used as bait, but this is not the case. While the CIA denies using honey traps, evidence suggests otherwise. For example, in the case of Vitaly Yurchenko, the details of a trap laid for him were later revealed in a book.
From 1953 to 1994, honey traps were extensively used against diplomats and businessmen from the Eastern Bloc in London. Many of these operations were conducted in a nightclub called Eve Club, managed by a Belgian defector named Hélène O’Brien (or Hélène Constantinescu). A group of KGB agents, known as “Uncles,” were tasked with training sex workers to spy on foreigners. These “swallows” were typically recruited from rural areas and were not paid salaries but received gifts from the KGB as incentives.
Sometimes, conflicts arose between KGB officers and the police over jurisdiction, and the swallows themselves were often subjected to abuse by their superiors. The “Uncles” believed that since these women slept with the enemy, they should also sleep with their superiors. In some cases, women were coerced into becoming swallows, and those who refused to cooperate faced murder or harm to their families. In one instance, 20 swallows working at a central hotel in Moscow were accused of espionage, and most were executed.
Honey traps are common in intelligence and security agencies worldwide, not limited to any one country. In 2009, the British MI5 released a 14-page brochure expressing concern about the “Chinese espionage threat,” including the use of seduction and sexual relations. After World War II, the significance of information obtained through such traps became apparent, and books and films, especially in spy fiction, often glamorize these operations, such as in at least three James Bond films where honey traps play a role.
Honey traps aren’t confined to illicit or secretive relationships; they sometimes lead to marriage and even children, though this outcome is more familiar with male agents. These traps can also result in blackmail, and occasionally, the seducer becomes a double agent. In other cases, the trap destroys the victim’s political or social reputation.
The success of those who use themselves as bait for intelligence gathering can be so impressive that they are considered national heroes, though such recognition often remains unspoken, and they live in complete anonymity. Such individuals may only be acknowledged years later, once the dust has settled, as in the case of “Betty Pack,” also known by the alias “Cynthia,” who worked for British intelligence. Her access to Italian and French naval codes and her contribution to breaking the infamous German Enigma code played a significant role in the Allies’ victory over Hitler.
Living as a honey trap might seem glamorous and thrilling, but it is hazardous and could cost one’s life. One of the most famous cases is Mata Hari, a Dutch actress, dancer, and singer, and possibly the originator of striptease, who was executed in France during World War I for spying for Germany. Later, it was revealed that she had been a double agent.
A more recent case is that of Mordechai Vanunu, who worked at the Dimona nuclear plant and revealed to the Sunday Times that “Israel has nuclear weapons.” The Sunday Times placed him in a safe house while investigating his claims. However, Vanunu grew restless and wanted to visit a young woman he had met while sightseeing in London. The newspaper couldn’t forcibly prevent him from leaving. When Vanunu and his companion reached Rome, Mossad was ready to kidnap him and take him back to Israel.
Another well-known case is that of Anna Chapman, who admitted to spying for Russia and was imprisoned in the U.S. After a spy exchange, she is now active on social media and works in fashion. In Iran, the use of honey traps was common even before the revolution, as recounted by Parviz Sabeti in his memoirs, mentioning the use of this tactic against religious figures like Jafar Shajooni and Mohammad-Taqi Falsafi, whose compromising photos were made public at the time.
Swallows hover around politicians—some naive and easily seduced and others more difficult to sway. Women who approach politicians may be accused of being swallows, while others argue that they are simply in love or genuinely care. It’s hard to determine the true motives of young women who gravitate toward older or newly powerful politicians, but when scandals break, a common suspicion is the “Swallow Project.”
Swallows are remnants of the Cold War, a period when the U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in intense espionage battles, and what better tool than women to seduce the other side’s politicians and discredit them? Sometimes, the goal wasn’t discrediting but gaining access to vital information and documents that could only be obtained by entering bedrooms. The film “Red Sparrow” is based on stories about the training of such sexual spies in the Soviet Union.
During and after that period, Mossad was a leading practitioner of using women for espionage projects, with reports from the British newspaper The Times indicating that they used beautiful women to infiltrate both Western and Eastern countries. Perhaps the most famous Mossad swallow was Tzipi Livni, who later became Israel’s foreign minister. In an interview with Time magazine, she admitted that during her time as a spy, she had sexual relations with the former Emir of Qatar. Monica Lewinsky, whose affair led to the scandal surrounding U.S. President Bill Clinton, was also accused of being part of a Mossad project.
Similar projects have been used throughout history, but it is unlikely that the systematic training and use of swallows has ever been as structured and widespread as it is today. Currently, not only intelligence agencies but also many economic competitors use this method to gain confidential information from rival companies.
Even political parties in some foreign countries engage in such projects to set moral traps for their rivals. An example is Donald Trump, who attributed the accusations of sexual misconduct by several women to the Democratic Party. However, many in Washington still believe Trump, having fallen into a Russian swallow trap, effectively became a tool of Putin to advance Moscow’s interests globally. Terrorist groups also use this tactic to achieve their goals. One well-known group that encouraged politically motivated sexual relationships was the People’s Mujahidin Organization, which arranged marriages based on the organization’s interests rather than love.
Now, more than 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the “Swallow Project” has become a dual-edged sword in various countries. On one side are espionage objectives, still pursued to influence critical figures, and on the other are politicians who link their immoral behaviors to security issues, trying to cover up their extramarital affairs under the guise of complex security connections. Now that the communist Chinese have found the sexually and emotionally vulnerable members of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate to be suitable targets, we must wait to see when this pot of scandals will finally overflow. Beyond plundering Afghanistan’s mineral resources, how much control will the Chinese gain over Afghan politics through this intelligence manipulation of Taliban members?
