American Public Diplomacy in Iran Based on Documents Confiscated from the US Embassy in Tehran

  Public diplomacy is based on soft power, i.e. by influencing public opinion, and in particular, the elite of the hosting country, which complements formal diplomacy. Since the early 1960s, due to its strategic location, the energy resources of Iran, common borders with former Soviet Union, and increasing dissatisfaction among the Iranian elite and young people toward US policies, the United States pursued active public diplomacy through numerous programs in order to influence opinions in Iran. This paper reports and analyses these programs.
Method and Research Design: Documents confiscated from the US embassy are examined to collect data.
Findings and US public diplomacy attempted actively to change the opinions of the elite, young people, and students in its favor by promoting the American life style, and its social, political and educational values, through employing the media, launching educational and training programs, as well as communicating with the members of the elite