Letter to Rezaei: Trump denies Iran talks mission for Vance – Tehran rejects Qatar ideas
According to the Wall Street Journal, Vice President Vance wrote to Iranian hard-liner Rezaei on Trump's instructions. Trump speaks only of medicine. Iran calls Qatar's proposals "unacceptable".
Archive image · Photo: C-SPAN / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
US President Donald Trump has denied directing Vice President JD Vance to open peace talks with Iran. Citing US officials, the Wall Street Journal reported that Vance wrote on Trump's instructions to Mohsen Rezaei, an Iranian hard-liner who commanded the Revolutionary Guards from 1981 to 1997. The aim was reportedly to test whether there was enough common ground to avert a brief but intense strike on Iran. Trump said: "It's getting supplies in to help people that are not well," referring to Iran's need for medical aid.
At the same time, Tehran rejected a Qatari draft to end the war, which began in February. A senior Iranian official told Reuters, as cited by Middle East Eye, that Iran could not work with what had been presented and that Iran would show no flexibility on the nuclear issue. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to Al Jazeera, that Tehran remains "in close and ongoing contact" with mediators on its seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
According to JFeed, US and Israeli military officials have drawn up plans for new attacks on Iran; the New York Times reported they could begin after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. This has not been officially confirmed. According to the Wall Street Journal, Vance has publicly backed military action but privately voiced doubts about prolonging the conflict. Araghchi warned on X that an Israeli-instigated military misadventure in the Gulf would have a "devastating impact" on international markets.