Iran said to have made secret outreach to CIA to end conflict

4th Mar 2026 10:54

(Sharecast News) - Operatives from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence have reportedly reached out indirectly to the C.I.A. with an offer to discuss terms for ending the conflict.

According to The New York Times, citing officials briefed on the outreach, US officials are sceptical - at least in the short term - that either the Trump administration or Iran is really ready for an offramp.

Nevertheless, the offer, which was made through another country's spy agency, raises critical questions about whether any Iranian officials could put into place a cease-fire agreement with the Tehran government in chaos as its leaders are methodically picked off by Israeli strikes, the NYT said.

It was understood that Israeli officials, who want a weekslong campaign to inflict maximum damage on Iran's military capabilities, and perhaps cause Iran's government to collapse, have urged the US to ignore the approach. For now, the offer is not considered serious in Washington, the NYT said.

And after saying for days that he was open to discussing a deal with Iran, Trump posted on social media on Tuesday morning that it was now "too late" for talks.