Vance offers Iran direct nuclear talks in Istanbul or Doha

According to The Washington Post, US Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, through Qatari mediators, offering face-to-face talks to end the war and address the nuclear program.

The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskOctober 30, 2026, 10:34 AMUpdated: October 30, 2026, 11:02 AM

Vance offers Iran direct nuclear talks in Istanbul or Doha

US Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, saying he was ready to meet him directly to reach an agreement that would end the war. The Washington Post, citing a US official close to the talks, said Istanbul and Doha were the two leading options for a potential meeting.

The letter was delivered to Tehran through Qatari mediators. The New York Times wrote that it was delivered on Sunday, while the Post said it had been sent last week. Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Fars reported that the letter had been received but that no response had yet been given.

No deal without the nuclear program on the table

According to the Post, Vance framed the talks in the letter around the national interests of both countries. He stressed that the United States’ primary goal was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while defining Iran’s interests as rebuilding its economy, damaged by war and sanctions, and protecting its sovereignty. Vance also said Tehran needed to send representatives authorized to negotiate nuclear issues.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance

The Wall Street Journal reported that the letter did not contain specific peace terms but instead proposed a “negotiating framework.” The aim, it said, was to determine whether enough common ground could be found to prevent a short and intense military operation that the United States could launch in the coming weeks.

Rezaei is believed to maintain regular contact with Mojtaba Khamenei

US intelligence assesses that Rezaei, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, maintains regular contact with Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and that the two spoke after the letter arrived. Experts interpret the decision to address the letter directly to Rezaei as a change in Washington’s view of who holds influence in Tehran.

The WSJ wrote that the letter was sent at the direction of President Donald Trump. Trump said he had approved the initiative and described it as an effort to help Iran with “medical supplies and various matters.” The same newspaper also wrote that Trump had told his Gulf allies to be prepared for a short and intense military operation after the midterm elections.

Following the war that began in February, Vance led the US delegation at talks in Switzerland in June. Türkiye, Pakistan and the Gulf countries have intensified their diplomatic contacts with Iran in recent weeks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was “continuing to give diplomacy a chance.”

Vance offers Iran direct nuclear talks in Istanbul or Doha