A day after the American and 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. The approach was made through another country's spy agency, according to officials briefed on the outreach.
U.S. officials are skeptical - at least in the short term - that either the Trump administration or Iran is genuinely ready for an off-ramp, the New York Times reported, as cited by "Hvylya". The offer is not considered serious in Washington for now.
Israeli officials, who want a prolonged campaign to destroy Iran's military capabilities and potentially bring down the government, have urged the United States to ignore the approach entirely. Trump appeared to agree, posting on social media Tuesday morning that it was "too late" for talks - after saying for days that he was open to a deal.
The outreach raises critical questions about whether any Iranian officials could actually put a cease-fire agreement into place. Tehran's government is in chaos, with its leaders being systematically killed by Israeli strikes. Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed on Saturday. On Tuesday, Israel struck a compound where senior clerics were meeting to choose his successor.
In public, Iran's surviving leaders have defiantly refused to negotiate with Trump. The secret outreach from the intelligence arm suggests that behind the scenes, at least some officials are looking for a way out. But the gap between a back-channel feeler and a workable deal remains enormous - especially when the chain of command on the Iranian side is being destroyed in real time.
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