Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei to revive peace talks as the US-Iran war stalls, Iranian media reported Thursday. Trump said the outreach was about getting medical supplies to people who are not well. The Vance letter to Iran has become a focus of attention as both sides give different accounts of its purpose.
Iranian media reported Thursday that Tehran received a letter from Vance but has not yet responded, according to Dawn. Iran’s position on the offer is therefore not yet known.
The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported, citing US officials, that Vance sent the letter to Rezaei to revive peace negotiations, according to the Straits Times. The Wall Street Journal further reported that Vance sent it at Trump’s direction. When asked whether he had directed the outreach, Trump said "No." Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
Trump said Vance’s outreach was about getting medical supplies to people who are not well, and that he told Vance "if you want to do that, that’s OK," according to Dawn.
The Guardian reported that the letter asks Iran to commit to steps in its nuclear programme, which would lead to reopening the Strait of Hormuz within seven days in return for US sanctions relief. Dawn and the Straits Times do not report these terms, and Reuters could not verify the reports of the letter’s content.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Ghalibaf, said on X that progress can only come once Iran’s seven conditions are agreed. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the reported US war plan "insane," warning of devastating escalation, according to the Guardian. The reported US strike plan and its targets rest on Murphy’s briefing remarks and open reporting, and the sources contain no official US confirmation.
The war began on Feb. 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US has since imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Qatar and Pakistan are mediating, and Qatari mediators presented a draft deal on Sunday, which a senior Iranian official called unacceptable. Iran has long blamed US sanctions for hindering civilian access to medical supplies, and in August it told the UN Security Council that the US was depriving civilians of medicines.
Vance’s office and Iran’s UN mission did not respond to requests for comment. The letter’s terms come from the Guardian alone, and the reported strike plan relies on unofficial remarks and open reporting, so readers should treat these details as unconfirmed.
Iran’s reply to the letter is expected, and the Guardian has called it imminent. The outcome will determine whether talks restart or whether new US strikes are considered.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.