Vance Sends Letter to Iranian Hard-Liner Rezaei as Trump Weighs Post-Midterm Strikes

Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a longtime former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter told multiple outlets. The communication is the highest-level U.S. outreach to Tehran in months and focuses on a possible framework for restarting negotiations rather than a detailed peace proposal.

Axios reported that the letter stressed any talks to head off further strikes “require discussions on the nuclear issue.” The Wall Street Journal reported the letter was sent at President Trump’s direction; Trump later told reporters the contact concerned medical supplies and that he had told Vance it was acceptable to proceed. One U.S. official said the president was enthusiastic about the outreach.

Rezaei is a hard-liner with a direct line to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. He has previously stated Iran would not negotiate until core demands—including relief from the U.S. naval blockade and frozen funds—are met. Engaging him could sideline other Iranian officials such as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The timing coincides with Trump’s public warnings that Iran faces additional strikes if talks fail and with U.S. briefings to Gulf states to prepare for a possible brief, intense campaign after the November 3 midterms. The Pentagon’s latest cost estimate puts U.S. operations at $47.1 billion through mid-October, with more than half attributable to munitions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran continues discussions with intermediaries on a seven-day proposal involving the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. officials have not confirmed the precise content of Vance’s letter beyond the nuclear-issue requirement reported by Axios.