Vance Letter Links Ceasefire To Nuclear Talks
Washington signals that any resumption of peace negotiations with Tehran must resolve the nuclear dispute, as US forces clear the Strait of Hormuz.
By Riya Zhao ·
Vice President JD Vance informed Iran's national security chief that negotiations to halt potential US military action must address the nuclear issue. The message was delivered in a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, according to an Axios report citing a US official published Wednesday.
Vance stated that President Donald Trump was enthusiastic about the correspondence. The letter represents the most senior-level outreach from Washington to Tehran in several months. Trump is currently weighing whether to resume strikes on Iran following the upcoming US midterm elections.
Rezaei holds a direct line to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. On Tuesday, Rezaei met with Khamenei after holding talks with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. That session marked the first high-level contact between Iran and those three nations.
The diplomatic exchange coincides with a dispute over shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media have reported that commercial vessels are striking sea mines while passing through the waterway. The US Central Command, known as CENTCOM, rejected those reports.
In a post on X Wednesday, CENTCOM stated that all internationally recognized primary transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of sea mines by US forces. The command added that thousands of commercial vessels have used the transit lanes safely and continue to do so.
More Politics · World news · Report a business · Got a Story?
