Operatives from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence signaled openness to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to talks on ending the war, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing officials briefed on the matter.

The offer was made through an unnamed country’s spy agency, the newspaper reported, 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 on Wednesday.

The White House and the CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Officials in Washington are skeptical about whether Iran or the Trump administration is really ready for an “off-ramp” from the conflict, currently in its fifth day, at least in the short term, the report added.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday ruled out for now any negotiations with the United States, days after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on his country.

“For the time being, we are very doubtful about the usefulness of negotiation,” Ali Bahreini told reporters.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Tehran wanted to talk but it was “too late,” as the United States continued its military operation against Iran.

The US and Iran had held three rounds of talks mediated by Oman in the weeks leading up to the launch of the strikes, amid heavy speculation that a conflict would break out as the US began a buildup of aircraft carriers and other military assets in the region.

Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:

Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;

Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and

Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 ‘Quiet Death’: US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, in first since WWII

2 Trump says he may have forced Israel’s hand into war with Iranian ‘lunatics’

3 In world 1st, Israeli F-35 shoots down Iranian jet in air-to-air combat over Tehran

4 Hezbollah fires on Tel Aviv as Israel threatens Iranian officers in Lebanon

5 IDF says it destroyed secret underground site where Iran moved nuclear project after June war

6 Isolationist US right-wing commentators decry Iran war; Trump says he doesn’t care

7 Khamenei’s son emerges as frontrunner to succeed him; Trump spurns Pahlavi as post-regime leader

8 US in talks with Iranian Kurds on potential CIA-backed op for uprising – sources

2026 US-Israel war with Iran

CIA Central Intelligence Agency

© The Times of Israel