US vice president JD Vance has reportedly reached out to one of Iran's “most powerful hardliner” as President Donald Trump weighs the possibility of resuming military action against Iran following next week’s midterm elections.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Vance sent a letter, at Trump’s direction, to Mohsen Rezaei, a senior figure in Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former longtime commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The move appears to be an attempt by Vance to explore whether Washington and Tehran could find enough common ground to persuade Trump not to give a final order for a short, intense attack on Iran in the coming weeks.
Vance’s letter and subsequent exchanges between US and Iranian officials have not included specifics for a peace proposal, but have instead focused on establishing a possible framework for negotiations, according to a person familiar with the matter cited in the report.
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{{/usCountry}}However, both Trump and Rezaei have shown little interest in negotiations. Last week, the US President said the administration wasn’t talking with the Iranians, and hinted at forthcoming strikes.
“We’re not negotiating with them, we are going to have something one way or another, it’ll happen soon,” he said.
Rezaei also stressed that Iran would not enter talks with Washington unless its key demands were met first, highlighting the challenges facing efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.
Some US officials believe that talking to Iranian hard-liners, who have amassed power in Tehran since the US and Israel attacks killed regime leaders at the war’s outset, might yield a better diplomatic result, according to WSJ.
Vance’s outreach before midterm elections
Vance’s outreach comes as Republicans face the risk of losing seats in the House and Senate in the midterm elections, potentially losing control of one or both chambers. The conflict with Iran and rising fuel prices have added to voters’ frustration with Trump and his fellow Republicans.
A spokesman for Vance declined to comment on the talks, while the White House referred questions to the vice president’s team. Iran’s foreign ministry said it had no information about Vance’s outreach, and Rezaei and the Supreme National Security Council could not be reached for comment, according to WSJ.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “While our Brave Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the Homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed.”
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Vance’s reservations about prolonging war
While Vance has publicly supported the war against Iran, he has privately expressed concerns about prolonging the conflict. Before Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury” in February, Vance pushed for stronger diplomatic efforts.
He was later appointed as the lead negotiator, and travelled abroad twice to meet Iranian officials in an attempt to reach a final agreement.
Rezaei, who led Iran’s Revolutionary Guard during the 1980s war with Iraq, has become an influential hardliner amid growing US threats. Earlier this month, he warned that Iran could target the United Arab Emirates, along with data centres and internet cables across the region.
On Sunday, Rezaei held a rare meeting in Tehran with security chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. The meeting came as regional countries sought to reduce tensions, with previous visits more commonly involving diplomats rather than senior security officials, according to WSJ.
Continued negotiations between US and Iran
Repeated talks between the US and Iran have failed to produce a lasting agreement. A “memorandum of understanding” signed in June collapsed just two weeks later, as both sides disagreed over how to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump wants Iran to agree to major concessions on its nuclear programme, while Tehran is demanding immediate economic relief. Meanwhile, the US continues to block Iranian ports, and oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain affected.
With no clear path to a diplomatic solution, Trump has said in recent campaign appearances that he expects the war with Iran to resume, insisting that the conflict will end only when he decides it is time.
“They’ve wanted to make a deal, but they like tapping it along. Maybe they’re waiting for the election or something—but that’s not gonna help them,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday night.