The US Central Intelligence Agency posted new instructions on social media for Iranians who want to safely contact the spy service.
On Tuesday, the CIA posted its message in Farsi on the accounts on social media platforms X, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and YouTube, attaching an additional instructional video. The agency urges Iranians who wish to make contact to take appropriate measures in advance to protect themselves and avoid using work computers or phones.
“The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) invites all individuals with confidential information that is not publicly available or who have unique skills to contact us for cooperation. All information received from applicants will be kept strictly confidential. We hear you and want to help you,” reads a statement on social media.
The message says that these individuals should use a reliable virtual private network whose headquarters are not located in Russia, Iran or China or the Tor network, which encrypts data and hides the user’s IP address.
The CIA measures are the latest in a series of communications aimed at attracting sources of information in Iran, China, North Korea and Russia during a large-scale build-up of US forces in the Middle East. Possible military action may begin if today’s talks between Iran and the US in Geneva fail to reach an agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme. The CIA declined to comment on its social media statement.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump began laying out arguments in favour of possible US military action in his address to the nation, stating he would not tolerate the Islamic Republic possessing nuclear weapons. Military action may commence if Tehran executes individuals arrested for participating in nationwide anti-government protests in January.
Human rights groups report that thousands of people have been killed in government crackdowns on protests.
