WASHINGTON — In an effort to reach out to Iranians, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has released new instructions in Farsi on social media for those interested in securely communicating with the agency.
This initiative by the CIA aligns with a significant increase in U.S. military presence in the Middle East. This buildup could pave the way for President Donald Trump to authorize military action against Iran if upcoming negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program, scheduled for Thursday, do not produce an agreement.
During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump emphasized the potential for U.S. intervention, stating he would not permit Iran, which he described as the leading global sponsor of terrorism, to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran, however, maintains that it is not pursuing a nuclear arsenal.
The CIA shared its Farsi-language instructions on Tuesday across multiple platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and YouTube.
This communication is part of an ongoing series of efforts by the CIA to recruit sources in nations such as Iran, China, North Korea, and Russia.
The agency advised any Iranians considering contact to take necessary precautions for their safety, recommending they avoid using work computers or personal phones when doing so.
“Use a new, disposable device, if possible” and “be aware of your surroundings and who may be able to see your screen or activity,” continued the message, adding that those who make contact, provide their locations, names, job titles and “access to information or skills of interest to our agency.”
Those individuals, said the message, should use a trusted Virtual Private Network “not headquartered in Russia, Iran or China,” or the Tor Network, which encrypts data and hides the user’s IP address.
The CIA declined to comment. Iran’s delegation to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to meet Iranian officials led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Geneva on Thursday for a new round of negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump has threatened military action if the talks fail to reach an agreement, or if Tehran executes people arrested for participating in nationwide anti-government demonstrations in January.
Rights groups say thousands of people were killed in the government crackdown on the protests, the worst domestic unrest in Iran since the era of its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
