President Donald Trump declared it was "too late" for negotiations with Iran just as it emerged that Tehran had made a covert attempt to open a diplomatic channel. A day after the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran began, operatives from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence reached out indirectly to the CIA with an offer to discuss terms for ending the conflict, according to officials briefed on the outreach.
"Hvylya" reports, citing the New York Times, that the offer was made through another country's spy agency. U.S. officials remain skeptical that either side is genuinely ready for an off-ramp. For now, the approach is "not considered serious" in Washington.
Israeli officials, who favor a weekslong campaign to inflict maximum damage on Iran's military capabilities - and possibly bring down its government - urged the United States to ignore the outreach. Trump appeared to side with that view. After saying for days that he was open to a deal, he posted on social media Tuesday morning that it was now "too late" for talks.
The White House and Iranian officials did not respond to requests for comment. The CIA declined to comment. Middle Eastern and Western officials described the offer to the New York Times on condition of anonymity.
Some Iranian leaders may believe they can inflict enough physical, economic and political pain on the United States and Israel to force an end to the assault. Trump already faces growing political pressure from Republican allies unhappy about the operation. The secret outreach highlights a core dilemma: even if Iran wants to talk, the chaos in Tehran's leadership ranks - with top officials being systematically killed by Israeli strikes - raises doubts about whether anyone left in power could actually deliver on a cease-fire agreement.
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