Did Iran reach out to US to negotiate an end to ongoing conflict? What reports say

Iran denied a report that its Ministry of Intelligence reached out to the US to negotiate an end to the Middle East war.

The New York Times said Iranian operatives indirectly contacted the Central Intelligence Agency on Sunday to discuss terms to end the conflict. That is “pure falsehood and psychological warfare,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing a ministry source.

Oil briefly rose on the denial, though quickly reversed those gains as traders focused on a US plan to have its navy escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through the chokepoint has slumped since the war erupted on Saturday with Israeli and US strikes on Iran. Brent was 0.2% lower at $81.24 a barrel as of 3 p.m. in London.

In public, Iran and the US have both vowed to continue fighting, raising the prospect of a protracted war in the Middle East. So far, over 1,000 people — mostly in Iran — have been killed and energy prices have soared.