In cognitive warfare, an actor targets the beliefs, convictions, values, norms, and cognitive frameworks of the people, elites, and officials of the adversary state. Part of this struggle is entirely covert in nature. Accordingly, intelligence agencies strive to employ methods that, in advancing cognitive warfare, are both feasible in achieving objectives and compatible with the requirements of operational secrecy. Public diplomacy is one such method. The fundamental question, therefore, is: What are the characteristics of public diplomacy employed by intelligence agencies within the framework of cognitive warfare against an adversary?

The hypothesis proposed in response to this question is that, given the covert nature of intelligence agencies, this secrecy governs all components and stages of public diplomacy. Specifically, considering the predominantly defensive and counteractive objectives of these agencies, the selection of audiences and the formulation of messages in public diplomacy are influenced by this defensive approach. The hypothesis is examined through data collected from library sources using a descriptive and analytical approach.

Answering this question aims to situate public diplomacy within the functional system of intelligence agencies, thereby making the cognitive warfare conducted by adversaries against the Islamic Republic of Iran more comprehensible. The findings indicate that public diplomacy employed by intelligence agencies differs from that conducted by non-intelligence organizations and institutions in terms of objectives, type of information, nature of messages, methods of message transmission, target audiences, as well as the type and geographic scope of actions, due to the agencies’ distinct mission and nature.