US Vice President JD Vance has written to Iran’s security chief in an attempt to revive peace talks, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday, October 28 — but President Donald Trump has publicly disputed what the contact was for, leaving the purpose of the outreach itself in question.
The letter was addressed to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the Journal, the letter and follow-up exchanges between American and Iranian officials focused on whether the two sides could agree on a framework for negotiations, rather than on the specific terms of a peace deal. No detailed proposal has been reported, and no agreement has been confirmed.
What happened
The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance sent the letter to Rezaei to test whether Washington and Tehran could find enough common ground to restart negotiations. One source cited by the newspaper said the letter was sent at Trump’s direction, with the president kept informed.
Trump gave a different account when asked about the report by reporters on Wednesday evening. He said Vance had come to him with the idea and that he had told the vice president he could proceed, but he denied that he had directed Vance to restart peace negotiations. Trump said the contact concerned medical supplies.
‘No. Iran needs help with medical supplies. Basically, it’s getting supplies in to help people that are not well,’ Trump said, according to reports of his remarks at Joint Base Andrews. He separately acknowledged, according to Bloomberg, that he had approved Vance’s contact with Tehran.
The two accounts do not agree on who initiated the outreach or what it was meant to achieve, and neither side has published the letter. That contradiction is now part of the story: the outreach is confirmed only as a reported contact, not as an agreed diplomatic step.
Axios separately reported, citing a US official, that Vance’s letter stressed the need to address Iran’s nuclear programme in any renewed talks.
Who Mohsen Rezaei is — and why the choice of recipient matters
Rezaei is not Iran’s foreign minister, the usual channel for negotiations. As secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, he sits at the centre of Iran’s security establishment, and he previously served as a commander of the Revolutionary Guard.
Choosing a security figure rather than a diplomat is significant for two reasons. First, it suggests Washington is testing a channel with someone who carries weight inside Iran’s security apparatus, where hard-liners have gained influence since the war began. Second, it is a different channel from earlier talks involving Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which means it does not automatically build on whatever those talks produced — or failed to produce.
Rezaei said last week that Iran would not negotiate with Washington until specific core demands were met. That position has not changed publicly, and there is no sign in the reporting so far that the letter resolved it.
Iran’s response: diplomacy still on the table, forces still ready
On the Iranian side, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran remained in close contact with intermediaries about a plan to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
‘While our Brave Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the Homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,’ Araghchi wrote on X. ‘We remain in close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our 7-Day Plan in even less than a week.’
Iran proposed the seven-day plan in September, conveying it to the United States through Qatar. Under the plan, as described in the reporting, Hormuz would reopen within seven days if necessary conditions — including a ceasefire across the Middle East — were met. Iran has also demanded the unfreezing of its assets abroad, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector, and an end to the US naval blockade of its ports.
Regional mediators led by Qatar are reported to be pushing for a diplomatic deal that would restart US-Iran talks and prevent a resumption of war after the US midterm elections on November 3. According to a report cited by The Times of Israel, the Qataris have tried to convince Iran to allow United Nations inspectors to visit its bombed nuclear sites in return for some sanctions relief from the United States. Saudi officials have separately urged the White House to give negotiations more time, telling US officials that Iran is deeply concerned about a US-Israeli strike after the midterms.
Background: a war, a blockade, and a deadline
The current conflict began on February 28, when Trump announced the start of US ‘major combat operations’ against Iran alongside Israeli strikes, with the stated objective of ensuring Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. The fighting followed the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025, during which the United States struck Iran’s Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
Iran responded by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel, and it regularly attacks vessels that attempt to cross without its authorisation. The United States has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports, seeking to squeeze the country’s economy.
Previous diplomatic efforts have failed. A memorandum of understanding reached in June collapsed within two weeks amid disagreements over the restoration of shipping through Hormuz, according to The Statesman.
The timing adds pressure on both sides. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Washington had told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a possible ‘short, intense military campaign’ against Iran after the midterm elections on November 3 — but that Trump had not made a final decision. Trump said last week that the administration was not talking to the Iranians and hinted at forthcoming strikes, saying: ‘We’re not negotiating with them, we are going to have something one way or another, it’ll happen soon.’
Iran’s military has meanwhile warned it would retaliate more widely against any new attack, with Rezaei saying it could strike US-related infrastructure, including data centres and other artificial intelligence targets.
Why it matters
This matters for three reasons. First, it shows that a diplomatic channel is still being tested even while a military deadline is being discussed in public — the two tracks are running at the same time, and either could overtake the other. Second, the choice of a hard-line security figure as the contact suggests Washington is looking for a counterpart who can deliver inside Tehran, not just negotiate abroad. Third, the stakes extend well beyond the two countries: Hormuz, energy prices and Gulf shipping are all directly affected by whether talks restart or strikes resume.
The uncertainty is already visible in energy markets. European benchmark natural gas prices climbed above €100 per megawatt-hour on Wednesday, October 28, for the first time since December 2022, according to AFP reporting cited by The Statesman. The Dutch Title Transfer Facility contract reached €100.45 per megawatt-hour, a rise of more than 4 per cent, reflecting concerns about prolonged disruption to liquefied natural gas shipments from the Middle East and the need to replenish European reserves before winter.
What happens next
The immediate question is whether Washington and Tehran can agree on the conditions for renewed negotiations before any decision on further military strikes. Iran’s seven-day proposal provides one possible basis for engagement; Vance’s reported outreach suggests Washington is testing another channel. Neither has produced a confirmed agreement.
Watch for three things in the coming days: any Iranian response to the letter beyond Araghchi’s public remarks, any clarification from the White House on whether the contact was a negotiating step or a humanitarian one, and whether Qatar’s mediation produces a concrete proposal before November 3. If none of those moves, the post-midterm window that Washington has flagged to Gulf states becomes the next decision point.
Vance has been campaigning at home as well as handling this diplomatic brief — earlier this month he rallied for the Senate race in Kansas, a reminder that the midterm campaign and the Iran question are unfolding in the same political calendar. The wider regional diplomacy is also moving on a separate track, including the Tehran talks and the Mecca pact involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.
Timeline
- June 2025: 12-day Israel-Iran war; the United States strikes Iran’s Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
- February 28, 2026: Trump announces US ‘major combat operations’ against Iran alongside Israeli strikes; Iran begins blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
- June 2026: A memorandum of understanding on a pathway to settlement collapses within two weeks.
- September 2026: Iran conveys a seven-day plan to the United States through Qatar, proposing Hormuz reopen within seven days if conditions are met.
- October 27, 2026: The Wall Street Journal reports Washington has told Gulf Arab states to prepare for a possible ‘short, intense military campaign’ after the November 3 midterms, with no final decision by Trump.
- October 28, 2026: The Journal reports Vance’s letter to Rezaei; Trump disputes its purpose, saying it concerned medical supplies; Araghchi says Iran is discussing implementation of the seven-day plan with mediators; European gas prices pass €100 per megawatt-hour.
- November 3, 2026: US midterm elections — the date after which renewed military action has been discussed.
Frequently asked questions
Did JD Vance write to Iran’s security chief? According to The Wall Street Journal, yes — Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. The letter itself has not been published, so the details rest on the newspaper’s reporting.
What was the letter about? The Journal reported it was about testing whether Washington and Tehran could agree on a framework for negotiations, not a detailed peace proposal. Axios reported it stressed addressing Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump said the contact concerned medical supplies.
Did Trump order the letter? The accounts conflict. A source cited by the Journal said the letter was sent at Trump’s direction; Trump said Vance came to him with the idea and he approved the contact, but denied directing peace negotiations.
Who is Mohsen Rezaei? He is the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a senior security figure and hard-liner, rather than a diplomat.
What is Iran’s seven-day plan? A proposal conveyed through Qatar in September under which the Strait of Hormuz would reopen within seven days if necessary conditions, including a Middle East ceasefire, were met. Tehran also seeks unfrozen assets, lifted oil sanctions and an end to the US naval blockade.
Will the US attack Iran after the midterms? No final decision has been reported. Washington is said to have warned Gulf states to prepare for a possible short, intense campaign after November 3, but Trump has not confirmed a final order, and diplomatic efforts are still being tested.
Related coverage
See the US News section for more American politics and foreign policy news. Earlier coverage includes Vance’s Kansas campaign rallies and the separate Tehran talks and the Mecca pact, which show how regional diplomacy around Iran is developing on more than one track at once.