In brief

• Vice President JD Vance reportedly wrote to Mohsen Rezaei to restart stalled peace talks with Iran.
• The letter was reportedly sent on Trump's direction, as Washington weighs whether to order a short strike on Iran.
• Gulf states were reportedly asked to prepare for possible military action after next week's midterm elections.

Letter aimed at reopening talks

Vance wrote to Mohsen Rezaei, who leads Iran's Supreme National Security Council and once headed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the longest stretch of anyone in that post (JD Vance engaged an Iranian hard-liner to restart peace talks – Wall Street Journal) (List ostatniej szansy. Vance próbuje powstrzymać Trumpa przed atakiem na Iran – Bankier.pl). According to people familiar with the matter, the letter was sent on Trump's instructions, and the president knows about the outreach („WSJ”: Vance wysłał list do szefa irańskich służb bezpieczeństwa – RMF24). The goal is to revive peace talks that have stalled since the war began (Nahost-Konflikt - Bericht: Vance soll Irans Sicherheitsratschef Resaei kontaktiert haben – Deutschlandfunk) (J.D. Vance napisał list do Irańczyków. Media: chciał tego Donald Trump – Onet).

What the outreach is meant to test

Some U.S. officials reportedly believe talks with hard-liners in Tehran could produce better diplomatic results, a view strengthened by the killing of Iranian leaders by the United States and Israel early in the war.

Military pressure continues

Last week Trump said the administration was not negotiating with Iran but that something would happen soon. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Washington asked several Gulf states to prepare for a possible further military operation against Iran, which could come after the midterm elections next week. Rezaei has repeatedly warned the United States of broad retaliation in the event of new strikes, including against economically important infrastructure.

Unclear prospects

Reports do not describe any concrete proposals in the letter or any response from Tehran. Coverage by several outlets describes the move as a last attempt to avert escalation, but no official confirmation from either government has been reported (Desperackie ruchy J.D. Vance'a. Biały Dom nagle chce ułożyć się z Iranem. Chaos w gabinecie Trumpa – Onet) (Próba wznowienia negocjacji z Iranem? Vance wysłał list – Wirtualna Polska).