Vice President JD Vance is emerging as the main U.S. negotiator with Iran, according to a Wall Street Journal report. He is considering face-to-face talks with Mohsen Rezaei, a top hard-line Iranian security official.
Vice President JD Vance is emerging as the main U.S. negotiator with Iran and is considering a meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, a top hard-line Iranian security official, the Wall Street Journal reported. The goal is to end the war.
President Trump has told aides and counterparts he is open to Vance restarting negotiations and has empowered him to lead them, according to U.S. and Middle Eastern officials. Talks about a direct meeting remain preliminary.
A letter to Rezaei, but no date for a meeting
The vice president sent Rezaei a letter in October requesting a meeting. No date is set, though the sides are discussing next steps through mediators. A vice-presidential meeting with senior Iranian security officials would be unusual.
Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner remain focused on the Russia-Ukraine war, while Vance has taken a more active role on Iran. The move is politically risky, because he could be tied to failed talks or credited with ending an unpopular conflict.
Iran's demands and a possible trade
Iran is demanding the blockade be lifted, frozen assets released, and oil sanctions eased before talks resume. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called those demands "totally unrealistic."
Mediators have floated confidence-building steps. Under one idea, the U.S. would pull carriers back and ease the port blockade in exchange for Iran allowing 25 tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
Skepticism on both sides
Iranian officials remain skeptical a deal is near and wary of further U.S. strikes. Rezaei has dismissed negotiations as imaginary and ruled out removing enriched material.
Inside the administration, the debate has shifted to whether to pursue new talks or maintain the blockade and sanctions pressure, which Rubio said is already working effectively. On Monday, Trump said he hoped for a deal while noting another carrier was moving into the region.
Source: Investing.com
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