Iran intelligence operatives signalled openness to talks with CIA to end war, NYT reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A plume of smoke rising after a strike on Tehran on March 4.
PHOTO: AFP
- Iranian intelligence reportedly signalled openness to US CIA talks through an unnamed spy agency, according to the NYT.
- However, Iran's intelligence ministry rejected the report as "absolute lies," while Washington officials remained sceptical.
- Iran's UN ambassador ruled out negotiations, and Trump deemed talks "too late" amid ongoing US military operations.
AI generated
NEW YORK - Operatives from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence signalled openness to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to talks on ending the war, the New York Times reported on March 4, citing officials briefed on the matter.
The offer was made through an unnamed country’s spy agency, the NYT said, citing Middle Eastern officials and officials from a Western nation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A source from the Iranian intelligence ministry rejected the report as “absolute lies and psychological warfare in the midst of war”, Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.
The White House and the CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials in Washington are sceptical as to whether Iran or the Trump administration is really ready for an “off-ramp”, at least in the short term, the report added.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on March 3 ruled out for now any negotiations with the United States, days after the US and Israel launched joint strikes
President Donald Trump said on March 3 that Tehran wanted to talk but it was too late, as the US continued its military operation against Iran. REUTERS
