Vance considers face-to-face talks with Iran's Rezaei to end war: report

US Vice President JD Vance is considering face-to-face talks with Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei as he takes a leading role in efforts to end the war, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing US and Middle Eastern officials and people familiar with the negotiations.

President Donald Trump has told senior aides and foreign counterparts that he is open to Vance restarting negotiations with Tehran and has authorised him to negotiate, according to the report.

Vance sent Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, a letter in October requesting a meeting, but no date has been set.

Doha is being considered as a possible venue, the Journal reported.

The diplomatic effort faces significant obstacles, with Iranian officials demanding that Washington lift its naval blockade, release frozen assets and ease oil sanctions before talks resume.

Mediators have proposed moving US aircraft carriers farther away to reduce the risk of major strikes and easing the blockade on Iranian ports.

In exchange, Iran would allow 25 tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Middle Eastern officials cited by the Journal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran's demands "unrealistic" but said Washington remained prepared for diplomacy if Tehran changed its position.

Iranian diplomats have privately expressed doubts about reaching an agreement, while some regional mediators remain skeptical that a deal can be reached in the coming days.

The potential talks carry political risks for Vance, who has publicly blamed the Iran war for Republican setbacks in the midterm elections.

Trump has privately questioned whether a June agreement that Vance helped negotiate was a costly mistake that allowed Tehran to regroup and collect oil revenues before Washington imposed a naval blockade, according to two officials cited by the Journal.

A White House official denied that Trump had second thoughts about the agreement.

The Journal reported that Vance has recently taken a more active role in Iran diplomacy than Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are also involved in negotiations over the Russia-Ukraine war.

Within the administration, discussions have shifted toward whether to restart peace talks or maintain the naval blockade and sanctions until Tehran is ready to accept a viable peace agreement.

Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller favour maintaining pressure on Iran, according to the report.