Vance tells Tehran that nuclear talks are the price of a ceasefire

US Vice President JD Vance wrote to Iran's national security chief Mohsen Rezaei on Wednesday to set the terms for a potential ceasefire. According to a US official speaking to Axios, the letter states that stopping any future American military strikes would require specific negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program.

President Donald Trump reportedly described the letter with enthusiasm, Vance said. This represents the most senior-level diplomatic outreach from Washington to Tehran in several months. The timing is critical as the White House considers resuming airstrikes on Iran following the upcoming US midterm elections. The exact date the letter was sent remains unconfirmed.

Rezaei holds a direct line to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. On Tuesday, the Iranian official met with Khamenei after concluding talks with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Those sessions marked the first high-level contact between Iran and those three nations in the current conflict cycle.

The diplomatic push occurs alongside a dispute over shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported that commercial vessels struck sea mines while transiting the waterway. US Central Command (CENTCOM) disputed those claims in a post on X/Twitter on Wednesday.

CENTCOM stated that US forces have cleared all internationally recognized primary transit routes of sea mines. The command added that thousands of commercial vessels have safely used the lanes and continue to do so today.