US Vice President JD Vance has written to Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an attempt to revive peace negotiations, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Rezaei is a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps whose influence has risen in Tehran. The Journal reported that Vance sent the letter at President Donald Trump's direction to test whether Washington and Tehran could agree on a framework for negotiations, even as Trump has threatened strikes after the 3 November midterms.

Conflicting accounts of the contact

Trump said on Wednesday evening he had approved Vance's request to make contact, saying: "He asked me what I thought. I said, 'If you want to do that, that's ok.'" Trump also described the contact as concerning medical supplies, saying Iran needed help with supplies for people who were not well, and denied that he had directed Vance to start peace negotiations. The letter's timing and full contents are unconfirmed, and the Journal reported it had produced no peace proposal specifics, only a possible talks framework. Tehran had not publicly confirmed receiving it when reports first ran.

Why the channel matters now

The outreach comes as Qatar- and Pakistan-led mediation continues over a reported seven-day draft plan to end the eight-month war, with Washington reported to seek upfront nuclear concessions and Tehran immediate economic relief. Rezaei said last week that Iran would not negotiate with Washington until its core demands were met, and he has previously threatened to expand Iranian attacks to targets in neighbouring Arab countries. Whether this channel produces a framework before Trump decides on strikes is now the central question, and nothing reported so far amounts to a confirmed peace deal.

Sources: The Wall Street Journal, New York Post.