Vance tells Iran: No nuclear talks, no ceasefire from US strikes

American military strikes on Iran could halt only if Tehran agrees to discuss its nuclear program, US Vice President JD Vance told Iranian leaders. The message sets a new condition for the upcoming ceasefire negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Axios reported on Wednesday that Vance wrote to Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's national security chief. The letter stated that any deal to prevent US attacks would require discussions on the nuclear issue. A US official confirmed the contents of the correspondence to the outlet. The Wall Street Journal first broke the news of the letter.

Rezaei holds a direct line to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. He met with the Supreme Leader on Tuesday after holding talks with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. That session marked the first high-level contact between Iran and those three nations in recent memory. Vance noted that President Donald Trump was enthusiastic about the letter.

The diplomatic outreach arrives as Trump weighs resuming strikes after the US midterm elections. Axios described the letter as the most senior-level communication from Washington to Tehran in several months. The timing coincides with a dispute over shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reported that commercial vessels are striking sea mines in the waterway. US Central Command, or CENTCOM, rejected those claims in a post on X on Wednesday. The command stated that US forces cleared all internationally recognized transit routes of sea mines. CENTCOM added that thousands of commercial vessels have used the lanes safely and continue to do so.