Vance Sends Letter to Iran's Security Chief as Trump Warns Gulf Allies to Prepare
US Vice President JD Vance has sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, pressing for a swift return to peace talks, according to Al Jazeera. The message comes as US President Donald Trump has warned Gulf allies to prepare for a possible new military campaign.
The letter was passed to Rezaei by Qatari mediators on Sunday, according to The New York Times. Vance called for direct talks and said Iran's nuclear programme would have to be on the table from the outset, according to US and Iranian officials cited in media reports. The New York Times reported that the letter proposed a meeting between US and Iranian officials soon, with Vance leading the American delegation. Vance also led the US side in earlier talks with Iran in June.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the letter was meant to test whether the two countries could narrow their differences enough to head off new US strikes on Iran. The paper reported that the aim was to see whether Tehran and Washington could find enough common ground to persuade Trump not to order a short, intense attack in the coming weeks. The letter and follow-up discussions did not cover specific peace terms, the paper reported, but a possible framework for negotiations.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Trump directed Vance to send the letter. The same outlet reported that Trump warned Gulf allies to prepare for a brief, high-intensity military campaign after next week's US midterm elections, and that Trump said the US might carry out another operation like Epic Fury, the name of the military operation against Iran that began in February.
Officials said talks could take place as soon as next week in Qatar or Turkiye, if Iran agrees. The New York Times reported that the letter had been well received by Iran's leaders. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance.
Rezaei is expected to respond formally to the letter on Thursday, the New York Times reported. Trump has downplayed the letter, according to The National. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US is in serious discussions with a new, more reasonable regime to end US military operations in Iran.
