CIA posts public Farsi guide to recruit Iranian informants on social media

The CIA released a Farsi-language video and text guide on Feb. 24, 2026 across X, Instagram, and YouTube. The message opened: 'The Central Intelligence Agency hears you and wants to help.' It drew tens of millions of views within hours. Similar recruitment campaigns have been released in Russian, Korean, and Mandarin.

The guide listed eight operational security steps for Iranians interested in contacting the CIA: avoid work devices, use private browsing modes like Firefox or Safari, delete search history, use a non-local VPN with offices outside Russia, China, or Iran, and contact the CIA through its Tor-accessible darknet site for anonymity.

CIA Director JRJohn Ratcliffe said the earlier Mandarin video campaign reached many Chinese citizens and confirmed the campaigns are generating results. He oversees the escalating intelligence operation against Iran as the military buildup accelerates.

Trump addressed Iran in his State of the Union address the same evening, saying: 'We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words: we will never have a nuclear weapon.' He added that his preference is diplomacy but left military options on the table.

The U.S. deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the region: the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Feb. 21 that Iran could produce weapons-grade nuclear material within weeks. Trump set a March 3, 2026 deadline for a nuclear agreement.

The CIA's public HUMINT recruitment is unusual. Traditionally, intelligence agencies recruit sources covertly to protect both the informant and the operation. Posting on public social media exposes the exact security steps informants should use, making it easier for Iranian counterintelligence to monitor who tries to contact the CIA.

Iran's Foreign Minister AAAbbas Araghchi posted on social media on Feb. 24 that a nuclear deal was 'within reach' and Iran would attend new talks in Geneva. Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told reporters Lebanon urged Hezbollah not to intervene if the U.S. strikes Iran. Iran faces domestic unrest following protests that began in late 2025 over inflation and the collapse of the rial.