Vance warns Tehran that new peace talks must include nuclear terms
The US Vice President stated in a letter to Iran's security chief that any agreement to stop American attacks must address the atomic program.
By Noor Phillips ·
Vice President JD Vance wrote to Mohsen Rezaei on Wednesday, stating that any deal to halt potential US strikes on Iran would require discussions on the nuclear issue. The message, which Axios reported on Wednesday, was described by a US official as the most senior level of outreach from Washington to Tehran in several months.
The letter was addressed to Rezaei, who serves as Iran's national security chief. Vance indicated that President Donald Trump was enthusiastic about the correspondence, which centers on reopening ceasefire negotiations between the two nations. It is unclear when the letter was originally sent, though The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the existence of the document.
The diplomatic move comes as the Trump administration weighs whether to resume strikes on Iran following the upcoming US midterm elections. Rezaei holds a direct line to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. On Tuesday, he met with Khamenei after concluding talks with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. That session marked the first high-level contact between Iran and those three countries.
The outreach coincides with a dispute over shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media have reported that commercial vessels are striking sea mines while passing through the waterway. US Central Command, known as CENTCOM, rejected those claims in a post on X on Wednesday.
CENTCOM stated that all internationally recognized primary transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of sea mines by US forces. The command added that the lanes remain clear and that thousands of commercial vessels have used them safely and continue to do so.
