Trump Says Iran Deal Is No Longer a US Priority
US President Donald Trump has said a deal with Iran is no longer a priority for his government. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, he also told JD Vance to direct his focus to alleged Democratic "corruption." Vance has served as the US chief negotiator in talks with Iran.
The talks sit inside a wider conflict. The United States and Israel launched a surprise war on Iran on February 28. In June, Vance negotiated a memorandum of understanding, a short written agreement setting out shared terms, with Iran. He did so with backing from Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Al Jazeera reports that the memorandum briefly paused the war and resumed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage of water. That agreement is now defunct.
Vance wrote a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's security chief, in late October. Rezaei first described the tone of the letter as positive. He later dismissed claims of progress and a possible direct meeting with Vance as "fake news about imaginary talks."
Tehran views Vance as one of the more pragmatic figures in the Trump administration, according to Al Jazeera's reporting. Washington, for its part, believes a maritime blockade, disruptions to overland borders, air restrictions and isolating sanctions are working. Sanctions are economic penalties that restrict trade and money flows, and a blockade is an effort to stop ships from entering or leaving a area by sea.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, called Iranian authorities "insane" for their demands on ending the war. Separately, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced an impeachment vote over his role in the war with Iran. Vance has blamed Republicans' defeat in the midterm elections on the war.
Trump's comments leave the future of the talks unclear. Vance's role as chief negotiator is the central question, given that the June memorandum he negotiated has collapsed and that Trump has pointed him toward other matters.
