Iran says it has dealt with two of President Donald Trump’s special envoys leading Middle East negotiations.
The country Trump began striking three weeks ago is no longer keen on any talks with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, or Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, both of whom led nuclear talks with Iran before the war.
According to the Guardian, Iran now says it will only negotiate with Vice President Vance.
Vance has been skeptical of U.S. intervention in the Middle East throughout his political career. /Marco Bello/Reuters
As Trump launches a deadly war against Iran, the United States and Iran are negotiating over the country’s nuclear program.
Since the start of the war, the Iranian regime has viewed these negotiations led by Witkov and Kushner as a cover for the Trump administration to deceive Iran into thinking they are negotiating in good faith, when the United States is actually just trying to launch an attack.
Trump’s former golfing buddy Vitkov and his son-in-law have been negotiating with Iran for months without success. /Alexander Kazakov/via Reuters
“There was no chance for the previous negotiating team,” a diplomatic source told the Guardian. “The Iranian side regards the negotiation request as another round of deception by the US-Israeli regime, aiming to find loopholes and intensify the attack again.”
Sources noted that Iran views Vance as a more receptive diplomatic figure than Witkov and Kushner, particularly because Vance is inherently skeptical of U.S. military action in the Middle East.
Vance, a Marine who served in public affairs during the Iraq War, has been wary of U.S. foreign interference throughout his political career.
“JD Vance should be on board if the talks are going to go anywhere,” the source told the outlet. “Nothing is going to work out for Witkoff and Kushner. We’ve seen this in the past.”
Vance, the government’s chief online troll, has been unusually silent online about his boss’s war. /Marco Bello/Reuters
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is pushing Pakistan to “facilitate meaningful and decisive talks between the United States and Iran” in Islamabad.
He had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and both sides “agreed on the urgent need to de-escalate tensions, engage in dialogue and diplomacy,” according to an official briefing.
Sharif posted on
@CMShehbaz/X
The country has not yet been officially designated as host for talks between the two sides. Other locations in Egypt, Türkiye and Qatar have been discussed, but the Guardian reports Tehran would prefer to hold talks in Islamabad.
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment.
Since the outbreak of the war in Iran, more than 2,000 people have died, including 13 US service members. / Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Over the weekend, Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran, saying he would “destroy” Iran’s power plants if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours following his “social truth” threats.
The president’s self-imposed timeline came and went, as he walked back his threats and claimed to have had “good and productive conversations” with the Iranians.
Trump posted on Monday that talks with Iran were successful, but Tehran disputed the news. /Donald J. Trump/Truth Social
Iran rejected Trump’s claims and said no such talks had taken place, saying Trump’s comments were “an attempt to evade his recent threats to Iran’s power infrastructure.”
Iran’s closure of the strait has become a headache for the White House as domestic gas and oil prices soar. At the same time, the Strait has become Iran’s strongest bargaining chip against the United States.
