CIA releases online tips for potential Iranian informants
The Central Intelligence Agency is offering help to prospective informants from Iran as US President Donald Trump weighs military action against the country.
A message posted today on X, YouTube and Instagram, written in Farsi, provides guidance about safely contacting the agency.
"Hello. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) hears you and wants to help. Here's how to make a secure virtual call with us," it says.
READ MORE: Fresh anti-government protests erupt in Iran as Trump reportedly weighs assassination attempts
The CIA has launched an online campaign to recruit potential Iranian informants. Getty
Iranian anti riot police stand in front of state building in central Tehran covered with a giant anti-US billboard depicting the destruction of a US aircraft carrier on Saturday, February 21, 2026. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images) Getty
The move comes at a time of rising tensions between Washington and Iran as well as a fresh outbreak of protests in the Middle Eastern country.
For weeks, the United States has assembled a large naval force in waters off Iran and deployed warplanes to air bases in the region.
The CIA has previously launched online campaigns to recruit potential informants in Mandarin, Russian and Korean.
They typically involve details about setting up secure communication networks designed to protect sources from state surveillance apparatus.
Trump threatened military strikes last month in response to the Iranian government's bloody crackdown on national demonstrations before warning the regime to secure a deal on its controversial nuclear program.
Talks on the subject between US and Iranian officials are planned later this week.
Trump and White House officials have insisted the US government is seeking a diplomatic solution, but have not ruled out armed intervention.
READ MORE: Two arrested over alleged kidnapping, murder of Sydney grandfather
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is part of a powerful US military force off Iran. (UA Navy via CNN Newsource) CNN
Leading up to Trump's State of the Union in Washington DC today at 1pm AEDT, senior Congress members were briefed on the Iran situation by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He was scheduled to update the so-called "gang of eight", comprising senior Republican and Democratic legislators about Iran, reports Reuters.
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