Vice President JD Vance has spent about two weeks helping steer indirect U.S.-Iran contacts, while a proposed technical meeting between the sides has yet to take place, Axios reported.
Vance has maintained frequent contact with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Axios reported. White House envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner are also involved. U.S. and regional officials told Axios that President Donald Trump is keeping diplomacy open as he considers whether it can yield an agreement.
Mediators have discussed holding a technical-level session in the coming days. The meeting has not occurred, and people involved in the effort told Axios that progress has been slow.
About two weeks ago, Vance sent a letter to Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei proposing a return to direct negotiations, Axios reported. The outlet said Iranian officials viewed the letter as a positive step toward restarting talks.
Axios also reported that Vance helped negotiate a June memorandum of understanding with Iran. That earlier agreement fell apart after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) resumed attacks on ships, the outlet said.
The New York Times previously reported that Vance offered to lead a U.S. delegation in an earlier round of Iran outreach. EconoTimes also covered Vance’s earlier assessment that U.S. efforts were advancing.
On Friday, Sheikh Mohammed said the Trump administration remained committed to seeking a diplomatic solution and that a deal was possible, Axios reported. Trump told reporters, “We’re talking to them,” when asked about his message to Iran. Mediators have discussed a technical meeting in the coming days, but no session has taken place.
