Vance reportedly sent letter to Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei to restart peace talks

WASHINGTON — US Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei to try to restart peace talks, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.

The report was relayed the same day by Middle East Eye. Neither outlet's account, as reviewed by Zenga News, includes the text of the letter or a date for when it was sent.

What the reports say

According to the WSJ, as summarised by Middle East Eye, the letter was an effort to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The newspaper described the approach as an exclusive. In a post on social media promoting the story, the WSJ said Vance had "engaged one of Iran's most powerful hard-liners to revive peace talks."

In a post on Telegram, the Arabic-language channel of Al Jazeera said the WSJ, citing US officials and informed sources, reported that Vance wrote to Rezaei at the direction of President Donald Trump. The Telegram post is a social media item and is unverified. Middle East Eye's summary does not say who directed the letter. The Telegram claim therefore rests on the WSJ's reporting as passed on by Al Jazeera, not on a confirmation from the White House.

Link to earlier military warnings

The WSJ said the outreach comes while Trump threatens to restart the war after next week's US midterm elections. Middle East Eye noted that the WSJ had reported earlier that the United States warned several Gulf Arab countries to be ready for a short, intense military offensive against Iran after the November midterms.

The two reports describe parallel tracks: a diplomatic overture to a senior Iranian figure and preparations for possible military action. The material reviewed does not say how officials in Washington see the relationship between them.

What is not confirmed

The sources do not include any comment from the White House, the Office of the Vice President or Iranian authorities. It is not known whether Rezaei received the letter, whether he has replied, or what the letter proposed. The WSJ's sourcing is anonymous, and Zenga News has not independently verified the report.

The reports also do not say whether the planned military offensive described by the WSJ has been finally decided or whether it depends on the outcome of any talks. They do not identify which Gulf Arab countries were warned.

Background

Rezaei is described in the reports as the chief of Iran's Security Council and, in the WSJ's wording, one of the country's most powerful hard-liners. The WSJ's description of Trump threatening to "restart the war" indicates that fighting between the two sides has been paused. The material reviewed does not give details of that earlier conflict or of previous rounds of peace talks.

The US midterm elections are due next week, according to the WSJ's post. Further reporting or official statements would be needed to establish what, if anything, follows from the reported letter.