Trump has privately questioned whether the June memorandum of understanding gave Iran time to regroup and earn oil revenue before the US naval blockade, according to further detail from the Wall Street Journal report, relayed by Türkiye Today. The paper cites two officials. A White House official denied that Trump had second thoughts.
Vance led the talks in Switzerland in June that produced the memorandum. According to the WSJ, they also produced a pause in fighting but no Iranian commitments on the nuclear programme or on Hormuz shipping.
The paper also reports that Vance has taken a more active role than the special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are also handling Russia-Ukraine talks.
US officials told the WSJ that talk of a direct meeting between Vance and Mohsen Rezaei is preliminary, with no date set. Iranian officials have denied any planned meeting.