Ziggy Ojiegbe

Iranian intelligence agencies have quietly signaled to the United States that Tehran might be open to discussions about ending the war, according to people familiar with the indirect messages. But U.S. officials say no negotiations are currently taking place and any diplomatic breakthrough appears unlikely in the near future.

The messages were reportedly passed to the CIA through a third country. So far, however, the channel has not led to meaningful discussions about ending the conflict.

Instead, U.S. officials say the war has entered a more aggressive phase. The United States and Israel are expanding their joint campaign aimed at weakening Iran’s missile capabilities and preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Wednesday briefing that the operation is “just getting started.” Lawmakers briefed by the administration earlier in the week said they were not given a clear endgame, including whether diplomacy could play a role later.

Publicly, Iranian leaders have shown little interest in negotiations, especially as Israeli strikes have killed several senior figures in the country’s leadership.

Still, the reported messages suggest there could eventually be a path toward ending the conflict. The CIA has not publicly commented. The New York Times first reported the existence of the messages.

U.S. officials maintain that there have been no talks with Iran—directly or through intermediaries—since nuclear negotiations collapsed just days before the war began. Several other countries have offered to help mediate, but that has not produced serious dialogue between Washington and Tehran.

“Since this thing went kinetic, we’ve had a number of reach-outs,” a senior Trump administration official said Tuesday, adding that nearly a dozen nations had offered to help. “People want to see if they can help solve it, and we’ve talked to them.”

Even so, there has been no significant exchange of messages between the two sides. Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy who previously led three rounds of negotiations with Iran, has not communicated with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi since the war began. He has also had no contact with Iran’s senior national security official, Ali Larijani.

“We’re not using anyone as an interlocutor,” the U.S. official said. “This is a military action, and it’s got to run its course.”

Iran has also denied sending messages to Washington. Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Wednesday that Tehran is focused solely on defending itself.

“We have not conveyed any message to Americans,” he said in a television interview. “We are now defending ourselves.”

Leadership crisis in Iran

At the same time, Iran’s leadership structure is uncertain following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend.

As senior clerics gather to choose a successor, Israeli officials have issued blunt warnings that any new leader who continues Iran’s policies could be targeted.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said anyone chosen to continue what he called Iran’s campaign against Israel and the United States “will be an unequivocal target for elimination.”

President Trump has given mixed signals about negotiations. In an interview with The Atlantic, he said he would be willing to speak with Iran’s new leadership.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk,” he said.

But the following day he posted online that the Iranians “want to talk,” adding: “Too late.”

Meanwhile, fighting is intensifying across the region. Iran-backed Hezbollah has sharply increased rocket and drone attacks against Israel in recent days.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, residents in northern Israel spent much of the night in shelters due to repeated incoming fire. The pace of Hezbollah launches has risen since Monday, even as the number of ballistic missiles fired from Iran has declined.

The military said the current attacks still fall short of the levels seen in late 2024, when Hezbollah launched between 100 and 250 rockets or drones per day.

One reason the numbers are lower is that Israeli forces moved quickly to seize areas of southern Lebanon and cut off Hezbollah positions south of the Litani River. That has limited the group’s ability to fire short-range rockets that can reach Israeli territory.

Still, Israeli officials warned the situation could worsen as the conflict continues.