US-Iran Held Back-Channel Contacts, but "No Ongoing Negotiations"

"Existence of a Channel for Dialogue Confirmed to Mediate Both Sides"
"Both the U.S. and Iran Remain Skeptical About the Possibility of Ceasefire Talks"

AP Yonhap News

Following foreign media reports that Iranian intelligence authorities attempted back-channel contact with the United States to discuss a ceasefire, there is growing speculation that the two sides have at least secured a negotiation channel. However, both parties are reportedly skeptical about the possibility of immediate ceasefire talks.

The New York Times (NYT), citing Middle Eastern and Western officials who requested anonymity, reported on March 4 (local time) that "Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence made indirect contact with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through a third country’s intelligence agency on March 1, the day after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran," and "proposed discussions on the conditions to end the conflict."

CNN, also quoting officials, reported that "an initial channel for ceasefire negotiations has been established between the United States and Iran," indicating "at least the possibility that a channel exists to mediate the conflict between the two sides." However, CNN added that no serious discussions have taken place through this channel so far.

The Iranian side firmly denies any negotiations. Mohammad Mokhber, the First Vice President of Iran and a close aide to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, appeared on state television and stated, "Iran does not engage in any form of contact with the United States," adding that "there will be no negotiations with the U.S. government going forward."

The U.S. government is also reportedly not strongly inclined toward dialogue. U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his own social networking service, Truth Social, the previous day, saying, "Their air defenses, air force, navy, and leadership have disappeared. They want to talk," and added, "I replied, 'It’s too late.'"

The NYT analyzed, "Even if talks for a ceasefire agreement are held, there are questions about who could implement them, given that much of Iran's leadership has been eliminated in the airstrikes and the country is in chaos." The NYT added, "Iran’s outreach efforts and the internal turmoil among its leadership will influence President Trump’s decisions regarding what kind of Iranian government he hopes to see take shape after the conflict, or at least at what level he is willing to compromise."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.