Vance seeks hardline interlocutor in Iran to try to reopen peace talks, says Fox Business
Letter sent with Trump's approval targets the Ayatollah's advisor; An analyst interviewed by the channel sees diplomacy with an eye on the legislative elections, five days away, and skepticism about the regime.
BY THE X-TRADER NEWS NEWSROOM · REPORTING FROM FOX BUSINESS · 3 MIN
US Vice President JD Vance reached out to one of the main Iranian hardliners in an attempt to restart peace talks with Tehran, according to Fox Business. The initiative would have been made through a letter, according to a report in the "Wall Street Journal" cited by presenter Martha MacCallum.
The interlocutor is a representative of the Ayatollah on Iran's Supreme National Security Council. According to the presenter, a senior Iranian official stated shortly before, in a statement published by state media, that the country's conditions were clearly presented to the mediators.
What Trump said
President Donald Trump commented on the episode and gave a limited version of the humanitarian theme. According to him, Iranians need help with medical supplies and other necessities. Trump said Vance asked him what he thought and that he responded that if they wanted to do that, that was fine. In its description, it's basically about bringing supplies to help sick people.
Show guest Nazee Moinian, a research associate at the Middle East Institute, said the development caught many observers by surprise. In her assessment, Vance has always been the author of diplomacy in this administration, although it is not known who initiated the contact. She said Vance allegedly raised the issue of medical conditions and supplies with the president, and that Trump approved the letter knowing its contents.
Political calculation and risk of resumption of conflict
For Moinian, the movement reflects Vance's view that the younger generation does not believe in involvement in foreign wars and "forever wars." She also pointed out the calendar: the midterm legislative elections are five days away. According to the analyst, expecting a resolution in such a short time would be extraordinary, perhaps impossible.
Martha MacCallum raised the hypothesis that the letter is a last step before a return to combat, since, in her words, the regime had many last chances. The presenter cited a source close to discussions in the administration, according to which the Iranian leadership and the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) are not afraid of anything, except their own people.
Moinian partially agreed, but considered that the regime also has all the tools of repression to repress and kill its citizens. She stated that the Iranian government is focused on survival and that it can give in and delay its nuclear profile if necessary. In his assessment, however, the intention remains to export the revolution without letting it stop, at any cost.
The dispute over the nuclear deal
The program aired an excerpt in which former President Barack Obama says he prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon through diplomacy, without firing missiles. MacCallum countered that that deal put a lot of money in the IRGC's pockets and that there is plenty of evidence that the country continued to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.
Moinian said there are many caveats to what Obama says. According to her, the nuclear program was indeed partially contained, but when inspectors returned, they found highly enriched uranium isotopes at 60% and four other nuclear facilities that had not been declared. In his assessment, Iran was caught red-handed when the report became public.
The transcript does not contain market figures or economic projections. For investors, the topic continues to be a factor of geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, a sensitive region for oil prices and risk appetite, but any effect on stock markets, interest rates or the dollar depends on developments that the program did not detail.
Automatically translated from Portuguese.
