Vice President JD Vance is considering direct negotiations with Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, as the Trump administration seeks to resolve the months-long conflict between the two nations, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Vance Takes Lead in Diplomatic Push
President Donald Trump has reportedly authorized Vance to spearhead renewed diplomatic efforts, sidelining other key negotiators like Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The vice president sent a letter to Rezaei in October requesting a meeting, though no formal talks have been scheduled yet.
This potential meeting follows Vance’s earlier diplomatic efforts in June, which resulted in a short-lived agreement that temporarily halted hostilities but failed to secure long-term commitments from Iran on its nuclear program or control over the Strait of Hormuz. The deal collapsed when Iranian forces resumed attacks on commercial shipping.
Trump’s Stance: ‘Total Victory’ or No Deal
Trump has publicly declared that the U.S. has already achieved military dominance over Iran but insists on securing a “total victory” before ending the conflict. In a Veterans Day speech, he asserted that Iran would need decades to recover from the damage inflicted by U.S. forces.
However, Tehran has laid out seven non-negotiable demands for ending the conflict, including lifting the U.S. naval blockade, unfreezing Iranian assets, and easing oil sanctions—conditions the White House has already rejected. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed Iran’s terms as “absurd” and reiterated that Washington remains open to diplomacy but will not concede to Tehran’s current demands.
Economic Pressure and Military Posturing
While major combat operations have paused, the U.S. continues to escalate economic pressure on Iran. CENTCOM reports that the naval blockade has disrupted $30 billion in Iranian oil exports and redirected nearly 150 vessels attempting to breach restrictions. A newly established task force, Iron Gate, is now targeting Iran’s land and Caspian Sea supply routes.
Meanwhile, Rezaei has publicly denied reports of negotiations, calling them “imaginary talks” and vowing not to surrender any of Iran’s enriched nuclear material. He also issued a stark warning, threatening to strike U.S. military bases in Europe if further attacks are launched against Iran.
Political Stakes for Vance
The diplomatic push comes after Republicans suffered significant losses in the midterm elections, which Vance partly attributed to the ongoing conflict. Trump acknowledged the political fallout but defended his administration’s military strategy, stating he would make the same decisions again.
With Tehran’s hardliners publicly rejecting U.S. terms and regional mediators struggling to broker a compromise, Vance’s potential talks with Rezaei could prove pivotal—or further expose the deep divisions preventing a resolution.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/11/11/jd-vance-weighs-direct-talks-top-iranian-security-chief-bid-end-conflict/