Iran has reportedly informed the Donald Trump administration in the United States that it is not keen on holding talks with his West Asia envoy Steve Witkoff or the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Instead, Tehran would prefer to engage with vice president JD Vance, according to a report.
This comes amid reports that the American president shared a 15-point ceasefire proposal with Iran through intermediaries in Pakistan, which has offered to host talks between the two sides. Follow Iran-US war live updates here.
Why Iran does not want to negotiate with Witkoff and Kushner
Tehran prefers to have negotiations with Vance instead of Witkoff and Kushner due to what it sees as a lack of trust following the collapse of earlier talks before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, CNN reported, citing regional sources.
In comparison to Witkoff, Kushner and even US secretary of state Marco Rubio, Vance appears to Iran as more open to ending the conflict, the sources said. “The perception is that Vance would be intent on wrapping up the conflict,” one source said.
Sources also told the outlet that regional players believe it could be difficult for Vance to take on such negotiations, as ending the conflict will not be easy.
Witkoff remains closely involved from the US side, and the report said Iran may ultimately have to engage with whoever is chosen by the Trump administration.
“Who the administration decides to send, the Iranians will have to deal with, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have a preference,” another source said.
Who is negotiating now?
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, the president said the US is “in negotiations right now,” adding that Witkoff and Kushner are part of the talks, along with Rubio and Vance.
“We have a number of people doing it,” Trump said. “And the other side, I can tell you, they’d like to make a deal.”
No ease in West Asia tensions despite ‘ceasefire’
Despite signals from Washington, there has been no slowdown in the conflict between Iran and Israel.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a Telegram post that it had carried out a series of strikes targeting infrastructure across Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it had launched a fresh wave of attacks on locations in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, as well as US bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state media reported.
In the US and around the world, the conflict has led to rising prices for oil, gas, and other goods. Commercial tankers are avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, while attacks by Iran have affected refining and gas processing facilities in the region.
With inputs from agencies