Iranian negotiators reportedly sent a private message to US vice president JD Vance during indirect talks in Switzerland late June. The text warned that President Donald Trump's Special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner could jeopardise efforts to turn the June 17 MoU into a lasting deal, a senior Iranian official told Drop Site, an investigative news outlet.
The White House has strongly denied the claims. Track updates on the US and Iran here
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed Tehran conveyed the message through an intermediary after earlier attempts to raise similar concerns through mediators, reported Drop Site.
Iran allegedly told Vance that Witkoff and Kushner were more focused on using insider information from the negotiations for financial gain than on reaching a deal. The Iranian official claimed Iran lost confidence in Witkoff during negotiations in Oman and Switzerland.
"During our negotiation rounds in Oman, it had become completely clear to us that this person [Witkoff] had zero connection to diplomacy or actually advancing the talks," the official was quoted as saying.
Iranian negotiators also accused Kushner of repeatedly sharing information with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
{{/usCountry}}Iranian negotiators also accused Kushner of repeatedly sharing information with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
{{/usCountry}}A US official earlier told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner had been speaking almost daily with Netanyahu and the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency since the negotiations began.
Iran claims it contacted Vance directly
Tehran shared written material with mediators before the memorandum of understanding was signed, the Iranian official claimed. They also alleged that “individuals close to President Trump” manipulated financial markets by using information linked to the war.
"We transmitted data and assessments through an exclusive channel to Mr. Vance," the official told Drop Site. Witkoff and Kushner were "abusing" the diplomatic process and "effectively disrupting the overall negotiating atmosphere," they said.
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Iran, in June, estimated that profits from the alleged market manipulation reached $9 billion and formally requested in writing that it receive a share, the official said.
"We have conveyed through intermediaries that $4.5 billion of this sum should also be allocated to the Iranian side," the official said. “The exchanged texts will ultimately become part of the historical record.”
White House denies allegations
The White House rejected the claims. "A message of this nature was never conveyed to the Vice President or his team," a US official told Drop Site.
"Any insinuation that the other members of the president's trusted negotiating team are operating under motives other than serving the president and delivering on his mission is false."
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also denied the report, saying, “No such message was ever transmitted to the United States. It's sad that Drop Site News 'reporters' are so filled with hate for America and devoid of respect for themselves that they have become full-throated propagandists for the Iranian regime.”
The report comes amid renewed strikes between the US and Iran. The Donald Trump-led government launched strikes on a hospital, an airport and multiple cities across Iran. Over 30 people in Iran died in the latest US attacks, the Iranian government said.
Tehran responded with drone and missile attacks on American bases across Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.