Vice President JD Vance proposed an in-person meeting to personally lead peace negotiations with Iran in a letter delivered through Qatari mediators to Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, the New York Times reported. Rezaei received the message on Sunday and met on Tuesday with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, with Tehran’s response expected Thursday.
The letter, which the Wall Street Journal first reported was sent at President Donald Trump’s direction to explore a negotiating framework, insisted that any talks to avert US strikes “require discussions on the nuclear issue” from the start, Axios reported, citing a US official. Asked Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews whether he had instructed Vance to initiate peace talks, Trump denied doing so and said the outreach concerned humanitarian aid: “No. Iran needs help with medical supplies. Basically, it’s getting supplies in to help people that are not well.”